President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (2) inaugurated the first seed coconut production unit in the Northern Province under the Northern Coconut Triangle Project. The event was held in Palei.

The project, implemented as a collaborative initiative between the Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka and the Chilaw Plantations Company, marks a significant step in the government’s plan to promote Jaffna, Mullaitivu, and Mannar as a “Northern Coconut Triangle.”

Under this program, 16,000 acres of coconut cultivation are expected to be established in the Northern Province in 2025, with expansion to 40,000 acres over the next three years (2025–2027).

To symbolically commence the project, President Dissanayake planted a seedling at the new unit.

Several dignitaries attended the event, including Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyaratne, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Marine Resources Ramalingam Chandraseker, MP K. Ilankumaran, and Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vethanayahan, along with officials from the Coconut Research Institute and Chilaw Plantations.

Meanwhile, the President also visited a coconut-based exhibition organised by the Coconut Development Authority near Pudukkuduirippu Central College.