World Coconut Day Celebration on 2nd September

KOCHI:
Coconut Development Board is celebrating 23 rd World Coconut Day on the theme Building a safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable coconut community amid covid 19 pandemic and beyond on 2 nd September in association with MIDH Division of Ministry of Agriculture &Farmers Welfare, Government of India.

This year’s World Coconut Day celebration is included in the programme Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav as part of Commemoration of 75 years of India’s Independence. In India, World Coconut Day is celebrated every year under the aegis of Coconut Development Board with the active participation of policy makers, progressive farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters, senior officials from central Ministry, representatives of State Agriculture/ Horticulture Departments and other stakeholders.

All coconut growing countries across the globe observe 2 nd September as World Coconut Day every year, which is the foundation day of ICC an
intergovernmental organization of coconut growing countries established under the aegis of UNESCAP in 1969. India is a founder member of ICC. The objective of observing coconut day is to create increased awareness on coconut which will help focus national and international attention to this crop.

In the wake of the present pandemic situation, current year’s programme is being organized as a national level webinar. Narendra Singh Thomar, Minister for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare will deliver keynote address. Ministers of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje and Kailas Choudhary and Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary, Department of Agricultur, Cooperation & Farmers welfare, Government of India will address the gathering.

Rajbir Singh, Joint Secretary, (MIDH), and Chairman, Coconut Development Board, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of
India, will deliver the welcome address during the occasion. Around 500 progressive coconut farmers from all coconut growing states, senior officers from Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India, representatives from State Agriculture/ Horticulture Departments and coconut based entrepreneurs will take part in the event. The programme will be followed by a technical session wherein deliberations on recent advances in pest management in coconut and prospects of value addition of coconut water will be held. An interactive session will also be arranged for the participant farmers.