NEW PLANTING OF COCONUT (PART 1)

COCONUT (Cocos nucifera) are an important crop in Malaysia and few other ASEAN countries. The  crop are categorised as ''Plant of Life'' from the locals as there are many uses from this plant.  have been receiving quite a few requests of late regarding information in setting-up a coconut plantation. While I would love to write a comprehensive coverage of all aspects involved in establishing a coconut plantation, it will be an enormous undertaking, and something that cannot be covered simply in blog posts.  Instead, I will give some basics of starting a new coconut plantation, the key cost elements and man-power management al all requirements. In Malaysia currently there are about 96,000 hectare of coconut planted able to produce 650 million nuts annually. However Malaysia import 150 million nuts from Indonesia for processing anually.  Actually there are a number of important stages when attempting to set up a successful coconut plantation. Now, a lot of people may think: “What’s so difficult? Just look for a germinated coconut, dig a hole, and plant it!”. Well, that method may work if all you want is a coconut tree, or if the coconuts are meant to be ornamental plants. But for a thriving, production coconut plantation, extra care and consideration will be needed. This few series article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I would like to share the stages of planting new coconut farms.

Stage A that was Preparing the Coconut Seedlings is an important stages for the discussion. As any serious agriculturist will tell you, getting the right planting materials is critical to the success or failure of crop production. This is even more important when it comes to perennial tree crops such as coconuts, since once the coconut palm is planted it becomes a 25 to 30 year-long commitment. Even if one is willing to correct the planting mistakes, it would have been 4-5 years along before any serious crop production issues are detected. And unlike many other tree crops where you can graft a superior variety onto the mediocre stock, and therefore change the variety of crop, this technique does not work with coconut palms. If a palm was to be replaced, it would have to be supplanted with another coconut seedling; and the waiting game starts over again. Get your coconut seedlings right. It will save you from a lot of headaches later on.

On the other stage, as the Step 1: Please Choose the Right Variety. There are a great many varieties of coconuts available to growers in the tropics, but broadly speaking, they can be classified into three general group: Tall, hybrids, and Dwarf. Each group has its own merit, and each cultivar within the group has its own unique feature that adds to its economic value. But for most smallholders, the real economic value in coconut is through the sale of tender drinking nuts, i.e. young coconuts with a high volume of sweet coconut water, and soft pulpy endosperm. As such, coconuts from the hybrid and Dwarf groups are of greater relevance to smallholder, given the shorter stature, ease of management and harvest, and quicker fruit bearing. In Malaysia, the most popular hybrid variety is the MATAG hybrid coconut. The MATAG is a multipurpose coconut variety, being a good variety for producing tender drinking nuts, as well as mature coconuts for the production of coconut milk. The husk fibers are also dense, making it suitable for production of coir. Supply of seedlings can be obtained from the Department of Agriculture. However, I have been made to understand that the supply is limited, and usually fully booked by farmers’ cooperatives. The article continue for Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6 respectively. Thank You.

By,
M Anem,
Senior Agronomist,
Bandar Baru UDA,
Johor Bahru, Johor,
Malaysia.
(3 September 2018).