EIGHTEEN COUNTRIES TAKING PART IN 43TH COCOTECH MEETING IN MANADO

Manado, N Sulawesi, Aug 4 (ANTARA) - Fifteen Asia and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) member countries and three observer states are taking part in the 43th Cocotech Meeting and Coconut Festival which opened here on Monday.
North Sulawesi Governor SH Sarundajang opened the five-day meeting aimed at promoting coconut products and exchanging newest technology in the coconut industry.
The 15 APCC member states are Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Sri lanka, Salomon Islands, Thailand, Vanuatu and Vietnam, while the three observer states are the United States, Australia and Canada.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Sarundajang asked participants of the meeting not only to discuss but also to apply technological innovations in the coconut industry. As such, coconut growers could take advantage of the newest technology.
APCC Market Development Officer Amrizal Idroes said at the meeting each of the APCC member states would disclose their respective coconut-related problems.
"The meeting will focus on the marketing of coconut products and the exchange of coconut technology but we do not rule out the possibility that the meeting will also discuss other issues particularly those arising from the meeting," he said.
Dr. Newton Peiris, adviser of the Srilankan minister of coconut development, said his country still needed large quantities of coconut particularly copra.
To that end, he said he would offer the Indonesian delegation to the meeting an opportunity to market the commodity to the South Asian country.
The Srilankan delegation to the meeting is led by Minister of Cococunt Development Salinda Dissanayake.
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