THATTA, Nov 2: For expeditious promotion of coconut and palm oil tree plantations, 5000 acres of forest land has been earmarked in Thatta and Badin coastal zone.

This was stated in a meeting of planning and development department held here under the chairmanship of Shahzado Shaikh, additional chief secretary, Planning and Development, recently.

The members of the coconut society, DG coastal development authority, the representatives of agriculture, irrigation, P&D and forest departments, and others attended the meeting.

The meeting was told that Pakistan imported seven different forms of coconut — coconut fresh, coconut dried, coconut seed, copra desiccated, copra powder and coconut crude oil — from Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Malawa during 1999-2000 worth Rs600 million, besides refine and crude forms of palm oil worth Rs17739 millions only in 1999-2000.

The huge outflow of foreign exchange, which was shooting up every year, could be reduced by producing coconut and palm oil indigenously, it was observed.

The meeting was informed that the provincial government had sponsored such a project initiated with an investment of Rs89 million entrusted to the coastal development authority in Thatta and Badin in 1994-95, which has now been transferred to the forest department for its final execution.

Taking notice of the discouraging attitude towards this plantation by the private sector, due to reported low income of the product and lack of technical known-how, the meeting underlined the need for increasing incentives, release of nursery grown plants at subsidised rates and all possible measures for installation of extraction plants and increasing the palm plantation in the coastal zone.

The motivation of common grower was stated to be vital and it was disclosed that proper nurturing and plantation will cause each tree producing 100 nuts two times a year and get sold at Rs10 per nut in the market.

It was pointed out that double space plantation could cause double crop in the palm field. Water saving technology, cooperative farming, superior quality seed, disease control and proper availing of long term soft loaning could initiate building a wide base for oil produ-

cing plants in the coastal belt, which is enriched with appropriate humidity, required atmosphere, marketing and motivation field.