Reverend Raymond Betham, All Saints Anglican Church
Honorable Lopaoó Natanielu Muá, Chairman of the International Coconut Community (ICC),
Honorable Ministers of ICC member countries,
Executive Director of ICC,
Development Partners and Observer Organisations,
Senior Government Officials and Private Sector partners,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Greetings from Samoa on this auspicious day of the 56 th International Coconut Community Session and
Ministerial Meeting

Samoa as a founding member of ICC is delighted to note, that the membership has increased to 20
coconut producing countries, accounting for over 90 percent of the world’s coconut production and
exports. As you are aware, this includes 8 Asian countries, 9 Pacific Island nations, and one in the
Caribbean, one African country and one in Latin America.

The main objective of ICC is to promote, coordinate and harmonize the activities of the global coconut
community and industry, for the sustainable benefit of the lives of millions of small farmers as well as
those engaged in production, processing and the marketing of coconut products.

Our collective mission therefore, is to ensure the sustainable development of our ICC member nations,
through the opportunity of our regions owning a significant proportion of coconut resources that
contribute to the enhancement of the livelihood of our peoples. This is evident in the statistics which most
importantly also highlight that a significant proportion of our coconut production are by our smallholding
communities of growers.

It is also not lost on us that our coconut communities satisfy environmental objectives in our efforts to
mitigate climate change and global warming through our replanting efforts.

Accordingly therefore, we must continue to support the collaboration of our coconut growing countries
through the ICC Secretariat, which brings us to focus on the most important strategies to sustain good
livelihoods, industries, pristine environments and cultural heritage, as is mostly emphasized through the
SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Actions Pathway (or S.A.M.O.A. Pathway), and the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda 2030, as most of you are aware of.

We, refer to the coconut tree as the ‘Tree of Life’. Other trees have also been confirmed the same honor
but none is more useful than the coconut. We know through time, that all parts of the coconut tree are
advantageous to Life.

The challenge that faces our coconut community is not lost on us in that as global demand for our coconut
products increases of our plantations comprises of old trees. And this is also the continuous threat of
forest posed by the coconut beetles.

It is a time to be vigilant with researching new varieties of coconuts that are resistant to pest and diseases.
It is a time to consult, dialogue, establish and re-establish all associations with our traditional and new
interested partners to design and develop technologies that will foster mutual benefits.

Let me remind everyone again, that our collective national, regional and membership desire is to achieve
positive and increased sustainable benefits for our peoples. It is therefore our responsibility to ensure that
established development objectives for food security and quality nutrition for our peoples are realised,
whilst boosting economic growth via increased exports of our coconut products.

We all have to scale up our collective efforts in our replanting programs for time is of the essence and the
coconuts we grow today can realistically bear fruits and be harvested in 5 to 7 years. So the concept of
replanting plans to ‘harvest in time’ is of most important.

Coconut in the Health and Nutrition spheres has become an important oil base ingredient in the fight
against NCDs and other health issues. It is in this connection, that I encourage all ICC member countries
to be strongly united, to combat issues that discredit our coconut resources and industries. My
Government will play its part in the enhancement of national policies and awareness programmes to
support our ICC efforts.

Further and more importantly, we are in unprecedented times during this COVID-19 pandemic which
poses the greatest threat to global public health, economic growth, and of course the growth of our
coconut sector.

We therefore need to develop an improved ‘preparedness and response plan’, and create space to stay
productive during this COVID-19 pandemic. We must also research and promote coconut oil, VCO and
coconut-based products as potential immune boosters against COVID-19 infection.

I have been informed that our ICC Secretariat has signed the Memorandum of Understanding with
various institutions and organisations to collaborate in research and development, capacity building, and

technology transfer via seminars and webinars, and especially collaboration in clinical trials on VCO and
other coconut-based products, against COVID-19 and other diseases, to scientifically prove the health
attributes of our coconut products.

In closing, I acknowledge with much appreciation our member countries for your individual and
collective efforts, and our development partners and observer organisations, who continue to provide
technical assistance and financial support, towards the development and sustainability of our coconut
resources and industries.

I wish you well in your deliberations, and it is my pleasure to now declare this 56 th Session and
Ministerial Meeting officially open.

Thank you and may God bless You All!