Coconut Farmers Urged to Practise Smart Fertilisation
By: June 30, 2025 ,The Full Story
The Coconut Industry Board (CIB) is encouraging farmers to adopt smart fertilisation techniques that enhance crop yields while safeguarding environmental health.
Director of Research and Development, Dr. Wayne Myrie, noted that smart fertilisation remains a key focus at seminars with farming groups across the country.
“In those seminars, we give information to farmers about the proper use of fertiliser… applying the fertiliser at the right time, rate and in the right amounts. That would be classified as smart fertilisation,” he said.
Dr. Myrie, who was speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s Television Department in Kingston, explained that even when excess fertiliser is applied, plants absorb only what they need, leaving the remainder in the soil.
“If you are applying nitrogen-based fertiliser, it will leach. This is the movement of fertiliser into the underground water table, which would be problematic for the country. As such, it is best not to overfertilise,” he said.
In addition to advocating for the correct use of inorganic fertilisers, the Board also encourages the use of organic fertilisers.
“Organic fertilisers can rehabilitate the soil structure and provide a far better medium for continued sustained nutrients for the coconut plant,” Dr. Myrie informed.
Meanwhile, in parallel with its smart fertilisation campaign, the Board is exploring sustainable strategies to reduce herbicide use among coconut farmers.
“This is why we look at the use of cover crops. They reduce the growth of weeds, as the reduction of light reduces weed growth. Intercropping can also cause the amelioration of soils,” Dr. Myrie said.
He added that, “if you use the right type of crop, for example if you have soil low in nitrogen, one would use legumes which would put back the nutrient in those soils”.
“There are some plants you can’t plant after each other ,for example garlic and scallion, because it will cause the plant to not grow very well,” Dr. Myrie added..