Thailand developed dwarf coconut trees, which can be harvested by human labour, said Deputy Agriculture Minister, Mananya Thaiset after the country’s coconut products were banned by some Western retailers.
The deputy agriculture minister planned to visit the Surat Thani Seed Research and Development Center to see the development of dwarf coconut trees, easier to harvest and popular among coconut growers.
She said coconuts sent to the factories for making coconut milk were harvested by humans.
Mananya was also scheduled to visit a monkey training center in Surat Thani’s provincial seat, which is part of the Klong Noi sub-district tourism community enterprise.
The place is prepared to welcome foreign diplomats to observe local ways of life in raising monkeys and training them to collect coconuts for tourism. The trip will be arranged by the Commerce Ministry.
Regarding accusations on monkey labor by the rights group People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Mananya said she ordered the Department of Agriculture (DoA) to investigate the case immediately.
All coconut plantations for exported products use human labor, she said.
She instructed DoA to grant Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) certifications to qualified coconut growers for clarification to trade partners, so they won’t ban Thai coconut products, which could affect more than 200,000 households, growing coconut plants. (TNA)
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