Member

Then there is the straightforward question of physical exports. Obviously the old economy of the archipelago was based heavily on coconuts; I am all in favour of coconuts, but they are not really going to be the high-value product today. What about some of the products they have that can be used in pharmaceutical or herbal remedy industries? The archipelago is rich in herbs and plants with curative properties, such as Madagascar periwinkle, which is known locally as bitter rose, Indian nettle, which is known as lerb chat, lemongrass, sage, catnip and so on. There are all sorts of things that could be brought into cultivation.