Vanuatu National Coconut Strategy 2016 – 2025.

The Vanuatu National Coconut Strategy is a national policy with a sectoral approach. The timeframe of this Strategy is 10 years between 2016 and 2025. The overall aim of this Strategy is to develop Vanuatu coconut sector to turn coconut into the top income earner in Vanuatu’s agriculture sector by 2026. To this end, the objectives of this Strategy are: (I) strengthened administrative and regulatory frameworks to manage the coconut sector, (II) increased farmer access to improved planting materials, (III) enhanced coconut farming through appropriate information and support, (IV) increased production and quality through good agricultural practices, (V) financial support for private sector engagement in agro-processing and value adding at all levels of the value chain, and (VI) enhanced trade and marketing of coconut products in the domestic and export market. The focus of this Strategy is on diversifying the sector and aligning it with the current innovations in production in order to take advantage of the demands in the global markets as well as to maximize returns to farmers from their coconut crop. The cooperation between the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and all relevant stakeholders will be strengthened. The Vanuatu National Commodity Secretariat shall be responsible for the implementation of strategies for all agriculture commodities including coconut.