On invitation from the Coconut Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CRI-CATAS), Assistant Director, Market and Statistics Officer and COGENT Coordinator of International Coconut Community attended the 2023 China (Hainan) International Coconut Industry Forum at Wenchang City in Hainan, China. The event was co-organized by the International Coconut Industry Forum in association with the Hainan Provincial People’s Government, People’s Government of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hainan Province, the People’s Government of Wenchang City.
The theme of the event was Ignite S&T Collaborative Innovation in the Global Coconut Industry to Boost its Global Value Chain.
The program was attended by the delegates from the countries France, Bangladesh, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Vanuatu, India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Pakistan and Micronesia.
The main aim of the coconut industry forum of China was to discuss the current global coconut industry policies, trade, technology, and value chains with the invited countries and seeks to promote the formation of a global alliance and collaboration within the coconut industry, also would like to facilitate scientific and technological cooperation and economic and trade exchanges between Hainan and other coconut-producing countries.
In the inaugural session Governor of Hainan Province and Ambassadors from Cambodia and Mayanmar to China delivered addresses. Representatives of Sri Lanka and Vanuatu joined via video clip. During the forum technical session was organized with the theme Global Coconut Industry Policy, Trade Status Quo and Development Strategy in which different speakers from CRI-CATAS, Sri Lanka, Philippines presented including Assistant Director, COGENT Coordinator and Market and Statistics Officer of ICC.
A field visit was organized for the delegates in which they have been taken to National Tropical Palm S&T Demonstration Base and Coconut Grand View Garden wherein different varieties developed by CRI-CATAS was shown to the delegates. Also visited the coconut demonstration farm of the CRI CATAS. The delegates from all the countries including ICC secretariat as well as COGENT planted coconut saplings in the Coconut Grand View Garden. The delegates were also taken to Chunguang Coconut Kingdom one of the coconut processing industry wherein they are processing coconut milk, cream, coconut water and coconut candies. The industry also developed a coconut museum also in which different coconut value added products made of coconut wood and coir were exhibited. The industry is mainly run with the raw materials collected from Indonesia and Vietnam.
The last day of the forum, the invited delegates have been taken to witness the China (Hainan) International Agricultural Products Winter Trade Fair 2023. The fair is one of the biggest fair organized by the Hainan Cooperatives including the government, private companies and institutes. The different food products from the processing companies of different countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam exhibited their products. The two days forum was a different experience and quite informative to know more about the Hainan province of China. During the forum some MoUs also signed between the Hainan government, CRI CATAS with private sector as well as Kokonas Indastri Koperesen of Papua New Guinea which would opening new collaborative path between the institutes and the province government for the sustainable development of the coconut sector.