Guyana pushes major coconut expansion in the Pomeroon

…as Government introduces high-yield Brazilian variety, strengthens infrastructure and training

The Government of Guyana has intensified its drive to revitalise the coconut industry with a major expansion programme underway in the Pomeroon, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), where hundreds of farmers are already benefitting from the introduction of a new high-yielding coconut variety and significant State investment in infrastructure, training, and value-added processing.
The initiative, part of the National Coconut Decentralisation Programme, focuses on replacing ageing and less productive coconut trees with the Brazilian Green Dwarf variety, widely regarded as a “game-changer” for the sector. This variety matures in just two to three years, compared to the traditional five or more, and produces roughly 240 nuts per tree annually. Older trees in the Pomeroon typically produce around 160.
In addition, the Brazilian Green Dwarf is known for its sweeter water due to higher sucrose levels, and its unusually high water volume of about 700–750 millilitres per nut, qualities that make it highly attractive to the fast-growing global coconut water market.
To date, thousands of seedlings have been distributed to more than 120 farmers across the Pomeroon, with many already preparing for their first major harvests.
But the initiative extends far beyond seedling distribution. The Agriculture Ministry, through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, is rolling out extensive support infrastructure, including the “bed and drain” system, a crucial intervention in a region that has suffered repeated and devastating flooding over the years.
The upgraded drainage network is expected to significantly improve farmers’ resilience to heavy rainfall, which has long been a major threat to coconut cultivation in the region’s low-lying areas.
Farmers are also being equipped with coconut shredders to transform husks and other waste materials into value-added products such as coir, compost, and other organic growing media. This reduces waste, cuts production costs, and opens up new income-earning opportunities.
According to officials, these combined interventions are positioning Pomeroon producers to take advantage of rising regional and international demand for coconut water, coir, and processed coconut products.
In a recent interview, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha reaffirmed Government’s commitment to aggressively expanding the coconut industry, noting that the Pomeroon project is a critical part of that national strategy.
“For example, this year we imported 70,000 high-yielding Brazilian coconuts,” the Minister told Guyana Times, adding that Guyana has already seen a substantial increase in planted acreage. “We have seen a considerable increase in acreage, over 7500 acres of coconut we have increased.”
Mustapha noted that coconut remained one of the most promising agricultural commodities for Guyana’s diversification plans, describing the sector as lucrative and fast-growing both locally and internationally.
“The coconut industry is one of the industries we earmarked for large expansion. I am hoping that next year… we can import close to about a million nuts so that we can move into this, because there are a lot of people now who are going into coconut production. And I think this bodes well for us in diversifying the sector,” he explained.
Mustapha emphasised that expanding coconut cultivation is essential to strengthening non-traditional agriculture and reducing national reliance on a small number of export crops.
With farmers already expressing interest in increasing their acreages and integrating value-added activities, the Pomeroon is now poised to emerge as one of the leading coconut-producing districts in the Caribbean.
Government officials say the long-term goal is to ensure that Guyana becomes a major supplier of coconut water and coir to Caricom and beyond, as markets continue to grow rapidly amid rising global demand for plant-based and natural products.
As the first batches of Brazilian Green Dwarf coconuts begin to mature, the Pomeroon stands on the verge of a significant transformation, one rooted in modern agricultural science, strong government investment, and a renewed spirit of innovation among its farmers.