COLOMBO, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Coconut Cultivation Board has set a target of planting 2.5 million coconut plants in 2025, said an official on Sunday.

Chairman of the Coconut Cultivation Board Sunimal Jayakody told local media that they will re-organize regional coconut cultivation societies from Feb. 17 to set the foundation for cultivation expansion.

He said 1 million coconut plants, out of the 2.5 million, will be cultivated in the Northern Coconut Triangle, the main coconut cultivation area in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka used to produce about 3 billion coconuts each year, however, in the last few years, the yield has dropped to around 2.85 billion, according to official statistics.

The decrease is mainly due to issues related to care and maintenance, climate change, and various diseases and pest infestations, Chairman of the Coconut Development Authority Shantha Ranathunga told the media earlier.

Sri Lanka's cabinet recently approved a proposal to import coconut kernels and dried coconut pieces with coconut husks equivalent to 200 million coconuts for coconut oil production. Enditem

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