Sri Lanka is launching a national initiative today (November 9) to distribute 500,000 coconut plants to households across the country, aiming to strengthen rural livelihoods and promote home-based coconut cultivation.
The official ceremony will take place in Uhana, Ampara, under the patronage of Minister of Plantations and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyaratne, alongside Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Wasantha Piyathissa.
The program follows a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment and the Ministry of Plantations and Community Infrastructure.
Under the initiative, 250,000 beneficiary families across all districts—excluding the traditional Northern Coconut Triangle (Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, and Vavuniya)—will receive coconut plants free of charge. The effort is expected to support the establishment of approximately 7,812 acres of new coconut cultivation nationwide.
Beneficiaries have been selected through the Praja Shakthi National Programme Committee and regional coordination committees. To ensure the long-term success of the plantations, officers from the Praja Shakthi program and the Coconut Cultivation Board will oversee progress from planting until the first harvest.
The government says the initiative is intended to help families meet their daily coconut needs from their own home gardens, reduce household expenditure, and support small-scale agricultural self-sufficiency.
