Today is World Coconut Day. The main objective of celebrating this day is to create awareness across the globe about the importance of the coconut and its benefits. The day is especially marked in countries under Asian and Pacific regions by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) as they house most of the world’s coconut growing production centres.
The first celebration of World Coconut Day was in the year 2009. The occasion is to commemorate the foundation day of APCC, which operates under the flagship authority of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP). The theme of World Coconut Day this year is – ‘Invest in Coconut to save the world’.
In India, Kerala tops the production in coconut, but Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are also picking up in this sector. In Tamil Nadu, the annual production is around two crore 17 lakh nuts and the productivity is being further increased by such initiatives like the Integrated Coconut Plantation Scheme.
The National Coconut Board is also overseeing the production and development of value-added varieties from coconut like soft drinks, chips and jams.Handicrafts based on coconut shell and wood are also being given further encouragement.