GUWAHATI, Sept 2 - World Coconut Day 2019 was observed at the Horticultural Research Station located at Kahikuchi in the city with a daylong programme today.
Organised jointly by the Horticultural Research Station under Assam Agricultural University and the Regional Office of the Coconut Development Board of the Govt of India, the theme for this year�s day was �Coconut for family wellness.�
Addressing the inaugural meeting of the programme as chief guest, Jayanta Malla Barua, Chairman of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation, said that coconut was a potential commodity to strengthen the socio-economic status of rural Assam and urged all the stakeholders to rejuvenate the coconut sector of the State.
The acting Vice Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University, Dr Ashok Kumar Bhattacharyya, stated that charting out a scientific and strategic roadmap for development of the coconut sector was the need of the hour.
Lunghar Obed, Director of the Coconut Development Board, dwelt at length on the coconut-based schemes and programmes of the government and urged the farmers to take advantage of the same.
Dr Pranab Mahanta, Director of Horticulture & Food Processing of the Govt of Assam, said, �Improper selection of coconut varieties and absence of assured irrigation are the major impediments affecting the low production of coconut in the State.�
Earlier, in his welcome address, Dr Sarat Saikia, Chief Scientist of the Horticultural Research Station, emphasised the socio-economic role of coconut in augmenting farm income and the recent trends in value addition of coconut.
He also underlined the role of coconut in contributing to doubling farmers� income.
To commemorate the day, a ceremonial plantation of coconut seedlings was undertaken in the campus of the Horticultural Research Station. The programme also included training-cum-field demonstration of coconut-based technologies as well as a farmer-scientist interaction.
A competition on coconut bunch and coconut products was also organised on the sidelines of the programme.
Programme at Khanapara: A public meeting was organised at Khanapara here today on the occasion of World Coconut Day. Experts interacted with the coconut growers. An exhibition of different coconut species and by-products of coconuts was also held.
The meeting was inaugurated by Mowsam Hazarika, Assistant Director of Agriculture (Horticulture), Assam. He appealed to the farmers to take benefits from the different schemes of the Coconut Development Board. He said that coconut has several uses. �That is why it is also called the tree of life,� he said.
