Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai   

World Coconut Day on Sept. 2

By G. Venkataramani

Chennai Aug. 30. "September 2 will be observed as World Coconut Day to make people understand that this crop has a vital role in poverty reduction and to provide nutritional and health security, which are the prime need of this hour," says P. Rethinam, Executive Director of the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community, headquartered at Jakarta.

Coconut is associated with the socio economic aspects of millions of people who directly and indirectly depend on this crop. It provides food, food security, livelihood security, export earning, import substitute and comprehensive protection to small holders and other agro-industries depending on it, according to Dr. Rethinam.

Endowed with 48.5 per cent lauric acid, equivalent to mother's milk, the coconut oil with medium chain fatty acids, will have to play a greater role in developing resistance to children and to all human beings to safeguard against HIV/AIDS virus, SARS and viral, fungal, bacterial, protozoal diseases, which is faced by mankind. Because of its unique property by providing food, nutrition, drink, health, aesthetic sense, building material and other useful household material, coconut is described as "Tree of Life", "Heavenly Tree," and "Tree of abundance."

On World Coconut Day, the importance of this tree should be propagated. "Our mission is to make the coconut industry more competitive by increasing productivity with better management, organic recycling, replanting and also by adopting an integrated farming system coupled with community processing, product diversification, value-addition and by-product utilisation," says Dr. Rethinam.

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