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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Over-harvesting reason behind coconut shortage in Salalah

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Hardly one month has been left for the Dhofar Khareef and the shops dealing in tender coconuts are facing a short supply of this Salalah signature fruit.


The shopkeepers cite some bugs as the reason behind it, while competent authorities disagree ‘totally’ with this and cite ‘over-harvesting’ as the main reason behind the short supply.


“We are facing the challenge of rhinoceros beetles (Oryctes rhinoceros), and coconut hispine beetles (Brontispa longissima) attacks, which lead to deaths of coconut palms in early growth stage and young or mature stages respectively. But the short supply in the market is not due to this problem,” said Dr Ahmed al Shanfari, Director of the Department of Agricultural and Livestock Research in Dhofar.


Dr Ahmed al Shanfari
Dr Ahmed al Shanfari


He called for awareness among the farmers to allow the fruits to mature and then pluck, because the bugs at the moment are only affecting the shape of the trees and leaves and not the fruits.


“For example, there may be tree leaves getting yellow or dry and fruit shells having some scars, but this has not yet affected the production,” he said.


It is due to the harvesting of premature coconuts that many buyers end up getting tender coconuts only with water and no flesh inside them, he says.


Dr Ahmed Shanfari, who is a specialist in Agrotechnology, Biotechnology and Plant Molecular Biology, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) is well aware of the bug problem and has taken all possible measures to tackle it.


Salalah coconuts are all-time favourites among its visitors. Their visit to the city is not complete without tender coconut water and its flesh, the shops for which are spread all over, mainly on the roads adjoining the sea.


The huts selling local fruits and vegetables are one of the main attractions of the visitors as they serve as the most authentic selling points of Salalah’s green products.


The demand for coconuts is all-time high to the extent of short supply due to a large influx of visitors during the Dhofar Khareef. But it is too early to have a short supply when the season is yet to start in full force.


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