Forty farmers, women and youths of the Central Division who rely on coconut plantations for their livelihood attended a training workshop facilitated by Fiji Crop and Livestock Council (FCLC).
The training workshop ‘Get More Value from Coconuts – for sustainability of income, health and nutrition, food security and livelihood of farming families in Fiji, Module 2’ was conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Mua Agricultural Research Station on Taveuni.
FCLC chief executive officer Jiu Daunivalu said the coconut tree was also called the ‘Tree of Life’ because all parts of the tree were used to sustain human life.
“Participants shared their knowledge about traditional and modern practices, using the coconut – from the leaves to the roots, for food, shelter, fuel, decoration, medicine, desiccated coconut and much more,” Ms Daunivalu said.
“FCLC, in coordination with the MOA, have prioritised the overall development of coconut as part of a farming system, with rehabilitation of existing fields and plantations.”
The MOA MUA Agricultural Research Station conducted the training on varieties of coconut trees and its different uses, best planting practices, and benefits of coconuts, including virgin coconut oil production, value-added VCO by-products, demonstrations of best production practices and the right tools to use.
