News and Articles

• Haycarb is expanding coconut cultivation in Sri Lanka to strengthen the long-term raw-material base for coconut-shell activated carbon.
• The program has supplied 35,786 coconut seedlings to 784 farmers across 559 acres in Batticaloa and Ampara.
• Seedling distribution is targeted to increase to 65,000 by the end of 2026, helping expand future coconut availability.
• Coconut cultivation faces pressure from ageing plantations, weak replanting, water scarcity, climate conditions, and human-wildlife conflict.
• New coconut trees take about five years to bear fruit, so the program supports future feedstock security rather than near-term activated carbon production.

Haycarb is expanding coconut cultivation in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province as part of a long-term effort to strengthen the raw-material base used in its coconut-shell activated carbon production. The company is working with the Coconut Cultivation Board in Batticaloa and Ampara, where growers are receiving certified coconut seedlings and technical assistance.

Since 2025, the program has provided 35,786 free coconut seedlings to 784 farmers across 559 acres. Haycarb plans to increase total distribution to 65,000 seedlings by the end of 2026. The initiative follows an earlier program in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province during 2023 and 2024, when 100,000 seedlings were distributed and recorded a survival rate of 80% to 85%.

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The project has a direct connection to activated carbon supply. Coconut shells form the primary raw material for Haycarb’s coconut-shell activated carbon operations. Increasing coconut cultivation is intended to strengthen the availability of this feedstock over the longer term and reduce exposure to pressures affecting established coconut plantations.Sri Lanka’s coconut sector faces several production constraints, including ageing plantations, low replanting rates, water shortages, climate variability, and human-wildlife conflict. These problems can affect coconut output and, over time, the availability of shells for downstream processors. The cultivation program addresses part of this risk by bringing new coconut acreage into production and supporting farmers during the establishment period.

The Coconut Cultivation Board is helping identify eligible farmers, verifying land readiness, arranging seedling transport, and providing technical guidance covering fertilizer use, pest management, and irrigation. The trees require around five years before they start bearing fruit but can remain productive for more than 60 years. This means the program is aimed at future raw-material security rather than an immediate increase in activated carbon supply.

There is also an important sourcing limitation for buyers to consider. Farmers retain ownership of their harvest and are free to sell coconuts to any buyer, with no supply agreement requiring them to sell to Haycarb. The program strengthens the wider regional coconut resource base rather than creating a captive feedstock source for the company.

For activated carbon procurement teams, the development points to greater attention being placed on coconut-shell availability at the agricultural level. Buyers sourcing coconut-based grades can monitor planting rates, crop conditions, shell availability, and supplier feedstock programs when assessing longer-term supply security. Haycarb supplies activated carbon for water and air purification, gold recovery, food and beverage processing, industrial applications, and energy storage, making raw-material continuity relevant across several downstream industries.