Drought, pests seriously lower Thailand’s coconut production

Thailand is set to lose its ranking as the world’s secondlargest coconut exporter and become a net importer as drought has damaged growing areas.

For more than four years, Prachuap Khiri Khan, the country’s most important area for coconut cultivation, has been hit by drought. The province now has only about 400,000 rai (64,000 hectares) of productive plantation area out of a potential 2.5 million rai.

In addition to the land, drought has directly affected the trees and fruits themselves, making them vulnerable to insects that damage the quality of the product. In the worst case, coconut palms in Thap Sakae district have died, their green fronds turning brown. Production dropped drastically to about 10 per cent of normal. from 1,000 to 100 fruits for 10 rais plantation.

The Nation