A national program to distribute 500,000 coconut plants for homestead cultivation is set to commence today (09) with the aim of reducing poverty and promoting coconut cultivation across the country.

The event will be held under the patronage of Minister of Plantations and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyaratne and Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Wasantha Piyathissa at 10.00 a.m. in Uhana town, Ampara.

This initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently between the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment and the Ministry of Plantations and Community Infrastructure.

Under this project, 500,000 coconut plants will be distributed free of charge to 250,000 beneficiary families across all districts of Sri Lanka, except the five districts within the Northern Coconut Triangle—Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, and Vavuniya.

The initiative is expected to establish approximately 7,812 acres of new coconut plantations nationwide.

The initiative is designed to enable selected beneficiaries—identified by the ‘Praja Shakthi’ National Programme Committee and approved by Regional Coordination Committees—to meet their daily coconut consumption needs from their own home gardens.

Furthermore, from the distribution stage until the first harvest, the program will be jointly supervised by officers of the ‘Praja Shakthi’ National Programme Committee and Regional Officers of the Coconut Cultivation Board to ensure effective implementation and long-term success.