The government is set to accelerate the process of issuing monkey-free certificates to coconut growers with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certificates to ensure that their products are accepted by overseas consumers.
The Department of Agriculture (DOA) is currently speeding up the process of issuing the “GAP Monkey-Free Plus” logo to coconut farmers and exporters. The certificate is an enhanced version of the Monkey-Free Plus logo, which was created last year in response to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) accusing Thai farmers of abusing animals by forcing monkeys to collect coconuts, and encouraging customers to boycott these products.
According to Director-General Raphiphat Chantharasriwong, farmers will receive the enhanced certificate after authorities have verified that the coconut they used is from GAP-certified plantations that do not use monkeys to collect coconuts. The department will also evaluate and verify plantations of exporters who have not received the GAP logo to help them obtain the normal Monkey-Free Plus certificate.
The director-general added that authorities will encourage farmers to replace coconut trees that are over 50 years old with new short-trunk coconut trees. These new tree saplings will grow into trees with shorter trunks, allowing farmers to use various methods of picking them rather than using monkeys to collect coconuts. He added that these saplings have been prepared by the department for distribution to coconut growers. (NNT)
