by Allanah Leahy – EM TV Online
A delegation of the Asia Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) was in India last week to visit the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) in Kasaragod, India.
The delegation included Papua New Guinea’s Uron N Salum, who is APCC’s executive director.
APCC, an international organisation consisting of coconut-producing nations, discussed prospects of a collaboration with the CPCRI on specific areas of coconut research.
Team members visited the CPCRI’s experimental plots along with scientists. They were also informed of the latest ongoing research developments at the institute.
CPCRI Director P Chowdappad briefed the APCC delegation on the institute’s contribution and activities in various farm-related ventures.
The delegation included APCC representatives from Jamaica, France, Trinidad and Tobago, Switzerland, Guyana, Fiji and the Philippines.
In September last year, APCC Executive Director Uron N Salum also paid a visit to the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) at Kochi for research on coconut oil’s health risks.
During the APCC’s visit last week, members engaged in talks on the international coconut gene bank at CPCRI’s Regional Centre where it is conserved.
APCC member countries include: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu and Vietnam, while APCC’s associate member countries are Jamaica and Kenya.
Next on APCC’s books would be The International Conference on Coconut Oil (ICCO), to be held in March this year in Thailand.
