Tonga saves its coconuts

The 'tree of life' as it is known in Tonga, the versatile coconut tree, is suffering from competition from other products and from felling. Its gradual disappearance has alerted the Tonga Ministry of Agriculture to the situation, and it is now surveying all local varieties in collaboration with COGENT, an international network devoted to encouraging cooperation between producer countries and research institutes in preserving coconut gene resources. So far fourteen varieties have been surveyed and are now being cultivated on the Vainï experimental farm, where their special features are assessed, and hybrids developed. IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania P O BOX 236, UPM Post Office, Serdang, 43400 Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Fax: + 603 9487655 Email: IPGRI-APO@cgiar.org Website: www.cgiar.org/ipgri/ Institute/profiles.htm#C08The 'tree of life' as it is known in Tonga, the versatile coconut tree, is suffering from competition from other products and from felling. Its gradual disappearance has alerted the Tonga Ministry of Agriculture to the situation, and it is now..