Jamaica aiming to cash in on coconut craze

Coconut grove

Mindful of the heavy and mounting expenditure required to meet the continually growing demand for imported coconut products, Jamaica is embarking on an initiative aimed at tripling the existing 40,000 acres of land under coconut cultivation over the next ten years.

The Caribbean Community island’s Coconut Industry Board recently prepared and submitted to the country’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture & Fisheries, for its support, a new strategic business and capital investment plan that envisages a J$3 billion public/private sector joint venture initiative based on what it envisages to be a likely huge increase in demand for coconut-based products, going forward.

Coconut cultivation apart, the plan envisages the development of factories for coconut water and sports drink production as well as virgin coconut oil production facilities.