Blog Archives

Coconut- an Asian dietary essentialwas bashed again by Western researchers, despite its increasing popularity in the West. – By Dr Harold Gunatillake In the fifties, sixties and before, our coconut properties, belonging to the private landowners and companies, paid particular attention to fertilising the coconut trees, and the production was sufficient for the local population and exports as copra for our foreign currency earnings. The trees were big and healthy looking. Coconut plantations flourished in the Sri Lankan coasts from Chilaw to Matara in the post- Anuradhapura period. In the 15th century, King Parakramabahu VI gifted a coconut plantation to the Thotagamuwe Vijayaba Pirivena. Spanish and Portuguese explorers coined the name coconut in the 16th century. We were proud then of our coconut growth, including rubber and tea plantations, the main products that gave us sufficient foreign exchange. Then, in 1972 – The land Reform Act was introduced with political ...