COCOINFO 25-2-2018-Final

VOLUME 25, No.2, 2018 / ISSN 0854-5006

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL

Editor-In-Chief: Uron N. Salum
Managing Editor: Muhartoyo
Associate Editor: Mridula K.
Advertising Manager: Alit Pirmansah
Circulation Manager: Rully Safriani K.
Cocoinfo International is a popular journal on the
coconut inustry published twice a year by the Interna-
tional Coconut Community (ICC)
8th Fl. BAPPEBTI Building,
Jl. Kramat Raya No. 172 Kenari, Senen

Jakarta 10430, Indonesia.
P.O. Box 1343, Jakarta 10013.
Phone 62 21 3100 556 to 557, Fax 62 21 310 1007
E-mail address: [email protected]
Website: http://www.apccsec.org
Queries and information regarding subscription and adver-
tisement insertion rates should be directed to the above

address.
Foreign subscription rates including airmail postage for one

year (two issues) is US$35.00 (ICC Member)
US$ 40.00 (Non-ICC Member Countries)

Articles may be reproduced or excerpted with prior permis-
sion from the ICC.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily
reflect those of the ICC.

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

VOLUME 25, No.2, 2018 / ISSN 0854-5006

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL

From the Editor–in-Chief ……………….………… i

Highlights of the 48th APCC Cocotech Conference 1
and Exhibition 2018 ..……………………………….

Muhartoyo

Climate Resilient Agricultural Practices for 5
Sustaining Coconut Yield…………….……..……....

P. Subramanian, A.C. Mathew, Ravi Bhat, K.B.
Hebbar, V. Niral, Murali Gopal, Surekha
and P. Chowdappa

Highlights of 54th APCC Session/ Ministerial
Meeting, Selangor, Malaysia………………..……….... 18
Mridula K..

Is Coconut Oil Poison? ………………….….………….. 23
Dr. Bruce Fife

Who's Behind the Claim That Coconut Oil
Is Pure Poison? ……………………………………... 29
Dr. Mercola

Why Coconut farmers need to be mobilized to 36
benefit from viable markets through
Editor-In-Chief: Uron N. Salum Economies of Scale ..………………………………….…
Managing Editor: Muhartoyo
Associate Editor: Mridula K. Dr. Remany Gopalakrishnan
Advertising Manager: Alit Pirmansah
Circulation Manager: Rully Safriani K. Philippine Coconut Industry in the Term ................ 41
Cocoinfo International is a popular journal on the Dr. Emi Q Javier
coconut inustry published twice a year by the Interna-
tional Coconut Community (ICC) Sambu Group’s Experience on Building
8th Fl. BAPPEBTI Building, Sustainable Coconut Ecosystem ................................ 44
Jl. Kramat Raya No. 172 Kenari, Senen Tay Enoku

Jakarta 10430, Indonesia. Experts’ Findings on the Health Benefits of
P.O. Box 1343, Jakarta 10013. Coconut Water ………………………………….….. 47
Phone 62 21 3100 556 to 557, Fax 62 21 310 1007
E-mail address: [email protected] Experts’ Findings on the Health Benefits of
Website: http://www.apccsec.org Coconut Oil …………………………………..…….. 49
Queries and information regarding subscription and adver-
tisement insertion rates should be directed to the above Market Outlook-Coconut Oil: Second
Half of 2018 ………………………………….…….... 52
address. Alit Pirmansah
Foreign subscription rates including airmail postage for one
News Round-up ………………………..….…...…… 54
year (two issues) is US$35.00 (ICC Member)
US$ 40.00 (Non-ICC Member Countries) Statistics ……………….……………….…….......…. 67

Articles may be reproduced or excerpted with prior permis-
sion from the ICC.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily
reflect those of the ICC.

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 i

From the Editor-in-Chief

COCONUT FARMS CAN BE VIABLE THROUGH VALUE
ADDITION AND CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE PRACTICES

The Official Technical Panel to the International Coco- ‘Farm viability is key to sustainability and growth of the
nut Community is the COCOTECH Conferences held industry. It has been an ongoing concern for small-
every two years. The 2018 conference held in Bangkok holders as well as large estate holdings however the
delivered important recommendations towards sustain- sector is still made up of over 90% small village farmers
able coconut development. Strategic areas of develop- who mostly poses less than a hectare hence the impor-
ment would involve the sharing and dissemination of tance of maximizing the economic potential of the lim-
successful models, case studies and experiences, firstly ited land area and to pursue opportunities that increase
with climate smart farming practices and secondly on market value of a whole nut.
how farmers could increase farm viability. Full utilization of Coconut husk, shell and water enables
Climate change is already here and present with its copra producer to increase the sale value of the nut.
effects on agriculture production and the related envi- This is possible to achieve where there are manufactur-
ronment bringing on an even bigger challenge and the ing factories or buying agents for Coir, Charcoal and
responsibility to research and develop counter meas- Nata de Coco within the proximity of raw material sup-
ures to not only cope in the immediate to short term but ply from farms. The same is also achieved when pur-
to mitigate the medium to long term effects such as chase of coconut is towards processing of high value
adverse weather patterns that cause prolonged products such as Virgin Coconut Oil, Desiccated Coco-
droughts, frequent strong winds, continues flooding, nut and possibly White Copra to a lesser degree. At this
rising sea levels and other negative effects. instance the price of a fresh mature nut should not be
India, Sri Lanka and Philippines provided some experi- fixed to the CIF Rotterdam price for crude Coconut Oil,
ences to pursue as steps of preparedness and to im- known by acronym as CNO.
prove the resiliency of farmers to counter negative ef- Traditional Copra producers would be interested to
fects of climate change. Included in the types of actions learn that it is worth the effort now to produce high qual-
would be improved coconut farming systems, water ity copra since newer markets are opening that are pre-
resource management which includes irrigation, inte- pared to pay a higher price for the ‘White Copra’ which
grated pest management and the utilization of bio mass is attracting a price that is as high as 40% more than
as organic fertilizers as well as natural organic pesti- low quality copra referred to now as ‘Black Copra’. Mod-
cides. est adjustment and improvements are required to drying
Researchers continue work on drought tolerant coconut facilities to enable drying of White Copra successfully to
varieties that are high yielding and disease resistant achieving the 5% moisture content and appearance to
which could perform under stress. Exchange of elite obtain highest price possible.
coconut germplasm is encouraged between the national The ICC is charged with the responsibility for the socio-
genebanks as well as the utilization from collections economic welfare of coconut farmers. Several coconut
held at the International Coconut Genebank in each of value chain studies are presently being conducted
the five regions under the COGENT program. around the world by various authorities, governments,
The training program started in Sri Lanka for Coconut private sector and non-government organizations. We
Development Officers is excellent strategy towards de- trust that the positive outcomes of the studies would
veloping institutional capacities of national agencies to assist in determining the scope for fair or fairer trade
equip officers with the right knowledge, skills, technolo- scenarios created to benefit the farmers into the future.
gies and management abilities to assist farmers and
implement coconut development programs. URON N. SALUM
Executive Director and Editor in Chief

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 ii

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 48TH APCC COCOTECH CONFERENCE
AND EXHIBITION 2018

Muhartoyo1

The 48th COCOTECH Initially COCOTECH Confer- economic aspects of the confer-
Conference and Exhibi- ence was held every year, con- ence, the 40th APCC Session in
tion organized in Bang- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 1th
kok on 20-24 August Mr. Niwat Sutemechaikul, Vice Minister – 5th December 2003, decided
2018 has set a new record of the of Agriculture and Cooperatives that the COCOTECH Confer-
most attended APCC Conference ence and Exhibition to be organ-
with the total participants of 450 Department of Agriculture Delivering his ized once in two years. The con-
from 32 countries. COCOTECH Welcome Address duct of the conference is jointly
Conference is the largest interna- organized by the APCC secre-
tional conference dedicated sidering the speed progress of tariat together with its member
solely on coconut development. technological development, re- countries country who offers vol-
The success of the 48th CO- search and development activi- untarily the hosting facilities.
COTECH Conference indicates ties on coconut, and logistic, and APCC member countries that
that coconut industry is moving have already hosted this event
into a new horizon which is more includes: Fiji, India, Indonesia,
promising and vibrant. Many Malaysia, Philippines, Samoa,
coconut stakeholders find several Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vanuatu,
benefits in such gathering for and Vietnam.
various reasons. For coconut re- The 48 COCOTECH Conference
searchers/ scientists this is a was jointly organized by APCC
good forum for knowledge shar- and Government of Thailand. It
ing and exchange ideas for fur- was officially opened by Mr.
ther research. For coconut pro- Niwat Sutemechaikul, Vice
ducers, they may be inspired by Minister of Agriculture and
the forum to maximize the bene- Cooperatives Department of
fits from their coconut farms. For Agriculture. In his welcome
coconut traders and exporters, address he wished all delegates
and equipment manufacturers, and participants to have a
this forum provides a good op- successful conference.
portunity to find potential buy- He also explained that his
ers, for coconut stakeholders Ministry focuses on various
around the globe to discuss, research and development
share knowledge. programs on coconut such as

Plenary Session of the 48th COCOTECH Conference 1
COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Panelists of the First Session, From Left to Right, Mr. Jayantha Jayewardane, Chairman, Coconut Research Board, Sri Lanka, Mr.
Uthai Noppankunwong, Deputy Director General, Department of Agriculture, Thailand, Mr. Uron N. Salum, APCC Executive Direc-
tor, Mr. Tilafono David Hunter, CEO, MAF, Samoa, Mr George N.Kuahaty, MM, Vice Chairman of Indonesian Farmers Association &
Chief of Staff, Office of the President of Indonesia, Dr B.N.S Murthy, Horticulture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers

Welfare & Chairman, Coconut Development Board , India

Coconut Production Develop- ductivity essing Industry in Thailand
ment, Coconut Pest Control 4. Promoting the Truth on the 8. Conservation & Utilization
Protection, Strengthening Co- Health Benefits of Coconut, of Coconut Genetic Re-
conut Farmers Community Coconut Oil and Related sources, Breeding for Elite
including coconut value addition. Products Material and Advancing
5. Product Competitiveness De- Technologies for Mass Pro-
pendent on Adherence to and duction of Planting Material
The coconut production will be Compliance with Highest 9. Addressing Economic Vi-
increased so that it will be enough Level of Product Quality ability of Coconut Farms
for the domestic consumption Standards through Intercropping and
which is not less than 1.1 million 6. Advancing Technologies for Sustainable Farming Sys-
tons. He also stated that the Integrated Management of tems
Government will maintain the Emerging , Threats of Pest 10. Future Prospects of Non-
coconut cultivated area of no less and Diseases of Coconut Edible Products of Coconut:
than 181,731 hactare and manage 7. Innovative Technologies and Coir Products, Charcoal,
the coconut pest so that it will Product Diversification Ini- Activated Carbon & Coco
not effect to the economy. Inno- tiatives of the Coconut Proc- Wood Utilization
vative Coconut product develop-
ment is also being pursued
through integrated approach be-
tween the coconut farmer com-
munities and the coconut farmer
institutions.

The Conference consists of 12 Mr. Uron N. Salum (Right), APCC Executive Director Delivering Plaque of
Technical Sessions covering Appreciation to Mr. Uthai Noppakunwong, Deputy Director General, Department of
diverse themes as follows:
1. Sustainable Coconut Devel-

opment Policies & Pro-
grams: Experience Shared
by Country Leaders
2. Global Perspective of Coco-
nut Sector Relating to Con-
sumer Acceptance and Future
Economic Prospects
3. Application of Climate Smart
Agriculture Practices Relat-
ing to Crop, Husbandry,
Farm Management and Pro-

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 2

11.Need for Innovation and In- A View of Q & A Session different stakeholders. Various
dustry Technology Devel- coconut products displayed in-
opmement that increase Vi- Palau, Timor Leste, Tuvalu, cluded packaged coconut water,
abi-lity of Processing Indus- Singapore, Sweden and United virgin coconut oil, coconut oil,
try Kingdom. coconut sugar, coconut milk,
In every Session, resource per- VCO-based body cares, and
12.Importance of Successful sons presented their presenta- coconut syrup.
Farmer Producer Organiza- tion, after all presentations were APCC Secretariat also organ-
tions toward Inclusive completed followed by an Open ized Several Side Meetings to
Growth in Coconut Industry forum or Discussion coordi- deal with various work pro-
nated by Session Chairman/ grams such as integrated pest
Many partner organisations par- Moderator. When participants management network, APCC
ticipated in the Conference, needed more detailed answers golden jubilee publications,
they were The Pacific they could approach the rele- Scientific advisory on health, as
Community (SPC), Centre de vant resource speakers during well as COGENT Steering
Coopération Internationale en the breaks for more discussion. Committee and Technical
Recherche Agronomique Pour During the conference, exhibi- Working Group Meetings.
le Dévelopment (CIRAD), tion of coconut products and To give opportunity to all CO-
International Coconut Genetic equipment manufacturers were COTECH participants to see
Resources Network organized in which the exhibi- the real coconut industry prac-
(COGENT), Coconut Develop- tors showcase the state of the tice and to have a refreshing
ment Board (CDB) of India, arts on the product development experience, industrial visits
Indonesian Palm Crops and packaging. No less than 40
Research Institute (IPCRI), exhibition booths were filled by
Philippine Coconut Authority
(PCA),Coconut Development
Authority (CDA) of Sri Lanka,
Coconut Research Institute
(CRI) of Sri Lanka, Coconut
Cultivation Board (CCB) of Sri
Lanka, Centre National de
Recherche Agronomique
(CNRA) of Cote d’Ivoire,
Centre de Investigaci’on
Cienti’fica de yucat’an (CICY)
of Mexico, University of
Queensland (UQ) and Conser-
vation and Development of
Coconut Oil Forum of Thailand
(CDCOT). Participants from
the non APCC member
countries in the Conference
included Australia, Bangladesh,
Brazil, China, Cote d’Ivoire,
Cook Islands, Germany, Japan,
Mexico, Nauru, Netherland, Official Opening of the Exhibition

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 3

A View of the Exhibition

were organized. The participants was to visit Visit aromatic coconut coconut sugar processing at Baan
garden with intercropping system Sarapee Community Enterprise
had two options to choose for the (seedling, Livestock, fishery) and Group, Bang Kunthi district,
industrial visits. The first route1 Samut Songkram Province, Visit
organic aromatic coconut water
A View of Indusriral Visit Activities—Route 1 processing plant at Dechatorn
Community Enterprise Group,
Damneon Saduak district, Ratch-
aburi Province, and having lunch at
Thai pure Company, Ban Peaw
district, Samut Sakorn Province.
The second route 2 was to visit
Visit K- Fresh Company: aromatic
Coconut primary processing plant,
and All Coco Company: aromatic
coconut water processing, Ban
Peaw, in Samut Sakorn Province,
Visit VCO processing and R&D
cosmetics at Tropicana Oil Com-
pany, Phutamonthon Sai 8, in Na-
korn Pratum Province and having
lunch at this premise, then visited
coconut milk and coconut water
processing plant at Theppadung-
porn coconut company , Phutta-
monthon Sai 4, Nakorn Phatum.
The industrial visits impressed the
48th COCOTECH participants who
joined this program as it was re-
freshing as well as enlightening.
They gained new insights and
knowledge about the coconut in-
dustry and processing in Thailand
that they may be applied in their
home countries.
1Documentalist of the International
Coconut Community, based in Ja-
karta, Indonesia.

4 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

CLIMATE RESILIENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES FOR
SUSTAINING COCONUT YIELD

P. Subramanian, A.C. Mathew, Ravi Bhat, K.B. Hebbar, V. Niral,
Murali Gopal, Surekha and P. Chowdappa1

1. Introduction 2. Ideal climatic requirements lands. However, to understand
Success of agriculture is mostly for coconut growth the likely impact of climate
determined by favourable cli- change on coconut production
matic factors, optimum supply The coconut palm is essentially and to develop strategies to
of water, nutrients and other a tropical plant, growing mostly overcome production con-
critical inputs. Coconut farm- between 200N and 200S lati- straints, it is necessary to con-
ing, predominantly undertaken tudes. Of all the climatic pa- sider the various aspects of the
by millions of small and mar- rameters, rainfall, temperature coconut palm, including its bot-
ginal farmers, though mainly and relative humidity appear to any, growth, flowering, and
confined to the economically be more important for coconut nutrient and water require-
and ecologically vulnerable re- cultivation. The ideal mean ments.
gions, is no exception to this temperature for coconut growth 4. Coconut growth cycle and
and climatic conditions play a and yield is 27±50C, with more
crucial role as far as the issue of than 60 per cent relative humid- climatic factors
sustainable production is con- ity. Persistence of highly hu- The coconut palm is a monocot.
cerned. World-wide coconut mid conditions for long periods The single stem of the coconut
plantation area is 11.968 M.Ha, is not considered beneficial for tree lacks bark, cambium and
with Indonesia (3.571 M.Ha), the good health of the palm. secondary growth features char-
Philippines (3.517 M.Ha), India Coconut palms tolerate a wide acteristic of gymnosperms and
(1.975 M.Ha), Sri Lanka (0.440 range of rainfall, both in terms dicotyledons and hence the
M.Ha) and Thailand (0.202 of intensity and distribution. stem once formed never alters
M.Ha), accounting for 75% of However, a well distributed in thickness, except for a slight
the total area (APCC, 2015). rainfall of about 2000 mm per shrinkage when the stem gets
The sustainable production of year is the best for proper palm old. Similarly, the root system
coconut is in danger owing to growth and higher coconut lacks a taproot and the roots
global warming and climate yield. In areas of inadequate once formed never grow in
change associated failure of rainfall and uneven distribution, thickness. The palm is un-
monsoon and the prolonged the palms require supplemen- branched, with a single vegeta-
drought resulting not only in tary irrigation for good growth. tive bud at the terminal end of
decline in productivity but also The palm also requires plenty the stem, and hence any damage
mortality of palms in extreme of sunlight and does not grow to the terminal bud kills the
cases. well under shade or prolonged palm.
Though it is predicted that ele- cloudy conditions. About 2000 Coconut palm has unique fea-
vated carbon dioxide will bene- hours of sunshine in a year is tures not seen in other perennial
fit coconut growth and produc- considered necessary for the trees and is the only perennial
tivity, increase in temperature healthy growth of the palm. where vegetative and reproduc-
and deficit in soil moisture Coconut grows well along the tive growth occurs simultane-
might negate these beneficial sea coast and up to an elevation ously. Inflorescence primordia
effects and accelerate the nega- of 600 meters above MSL. initiation in coconut has been
tive impact of climate change. However, it is also possible to observed in the 10th leaf axil of
This clearly implies that avail- grow coconut palms up to an one year old seedlings raised
ability of water or rainfall plays elevation of 1000 meters above under continuous light (Pillai et
a major role in deciding the suc- MSL. al., 1973). Therefore optimum
cess of coconut cultivation. 3.Does climatic change have climatic conditions are essen-
Thus, in order to sustain coco- tially required throughout, espe-
nut production, it is imperative adverse impact on coconut cially well distributed rainfall
to develop climate resilient ag- production? throughout the year and ade-
ricultural practices, including The coconut palm, undoubt- quate nutrition, since the coco-
soil and water conservation edly, has the ability to grow in nut palm does not have clearly
practices. ecologically different regions, demarcated critical growth peri-
ranging from sea coasts to high- ods for water and nutrients.

5 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Coconut palm has unique fea- start from all sides of the base ultimately leads to the death of
tures not seen in other perennial of the stem, referred to as the seedling. So in the initial stages
trees and is the only perennial bole. Fibrous root system, of seedling growth (up to a pe-
where vegetative and reproduc- unlike the tap root system, gen- riod of three years), life saving
tive growth occurs simultane- erally does not penetrate deep irrigation (when grown under
ously. Inflorescence primordia into the soil, and tend to grow high rainfall zone as rain fed
initiation in coconut has been more horizontally (75 per cent crop) or regular irrigation (in
observed in the 10th leaf axil of of the roots are confined to 2 m dry areas or low rainfall zone)
one year old seedlings raised radius from the trunk) than ver- is essential for the survival and
under continuous light (Pillai et tically (82 per cent of the roots successful establishment of the
al., 1973). Therefore optimum are confined to 1-1.2 m depth) palm.
climatic conditions are essen- and thus, coconut palms are Very high rainfall and water
tially required throughout, espe- more susceptible to water stress logging, on the other hand, will
cially well distributed rainfall and hence highly vulnerable as adversely affect aeration in the
throughout the year and ade- far as climate change is con- root zone, causing decay of
quate nutrition, since the coco- cerned. However, coconut roots, yellowing of leaves, fol-
nut palm does not have clearly palms are quick to absorb sur- lowed by necrosis and finally
demarcated critical growth peri- face water as well as irrigation death of seedlings. Hence dur-
ods for water and nutrients. water and hence have the ability ing rainy season, necessary ar-
Further, the coconut leaf dura- to respond quickly to applied rangements should be made to
tion (from emergence to senes- water and fertilizer, indicating drain the water impounded in
cence) is 20-26 months, while adoption of timely crop man- the pits. Sufficient care should
the duration from initiation of agement practices can help be taken to ensure that the tip of
inflorescence primordia to full overcome the adverse effect of the youngest growing leaf
maturity of fruits is 38-44 climatic change. (spindle) is not completely sub-
months, and hence the adverse 6. Impact of weather parame- merged under water. Prolonged
impact of climate variable espe- submergence will result in rot-
cially rainfall is not confined to ters on coconut ting of the bud tissue and cause
one particular season or year 6.1. Seedling growth death of the seedling. Submer-
and the ill effects will last for a 6.1.1.Moisture stress gence even for a small period of
longer period of up to 3 to 4 A rainless period of more than time can cause bud rot infec-
years (Rajagopal et al., 1996). 10 to 15 days duration, depend- tion, due to transmission of the
If appropriate management ing upon the soil type, will soil borne Phytophthora palmi-
practices are not adopted, to cause deficit water stress in vora pathogen to the tender tis-
overcome the effect of unfa- seedlings and result in scorch- sue and cause seedling death.
vourable climatic conditions, it ing of leaves, followed by wilt- Hence, care should be taken to
is possible that it may lead to ing of the seedling. If the dura- ensure that rain water or even
death of the palms. Based on tion of stress is prolonged, it irrigation water, does not stag-
the severity of rainfall deficit, nate at the spindle region of the
both in terms of frequency and seedlings.
quantity, considerable time pe-
riod, even up to 3 to 4 years, Scorching of collar region of seedling Yellowing of leaves and petiole breakage
may be required to restore the
original healthy condition of the Sun scorching of seedlings Shading of seedling to avoid sun scorching
palm. The vegetative and re-
productive cycle of the coconut COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018
palm clearly shows that coconut
is highly vulnerable to the
change in climatic variables if
adequate resilient practices are
not followed.

5. Rooting pattern of coconut
versus climatic impact

Coconut, being a monocot, pos-
sesses a fibrous root system and
produces numerous, fairly uni-
form roots, having 8 to 10 mm
diameter, throughout its life.
These roots are main roots and

6

transmission of the soil borne Yellowing and drooping of lower leaves Drought affected palm, with only cen-
Phytophthora palmivora patho- tral whorl of leaves
gen to the tender tissue and Petiole breakage, a typical symptom of
cause seedling death. Hence, moisture deficit stress flowers, delay in opening of
care should be taken to ensure spathes, shedding of fertilized
that rain water or even irriga- opment and water deficiency female flowers (buttons) and
tion water, does not stagnate at can result in abortion of spadi- immature nut fall are also ob-
the spindle region of the seed- ces. In addition to total absence served to occur due to moisture
lings. of the inflorescence in some of deficit stress. Further soil mois-
6.2 Adult palms: the leaf axils, emergence of in- ture stress results in bunch
6.2.1 Moisture stress florescences without female drooping, poor nut setting per-
Deficit soil moisture adversely centage, poor endosperm devel-
affects the growth of different opment and reduction in size of
parts of the palm to varying nuts as well as copra content.
degrees, adversely affecting
productivity of the coconut Drought affected palm, with only central
palm to a considerable extent. whorl of leaves
Effect on vegetative growth
The absence of adequate mois- Considering the long duration
ture in the soil affects the leaf of 44 months between the ini-
water potential and the absorp- tiation of inflorescence primor-
tion of nutrients. Drought con- dia and nut maturity, there are
ditions cause drying and death different stages at which mois-
of roots which affect the trans- ture stress can detrimentally
portation of water and nutrients affect fruit yield. Thus palms
from the soil. Further inade- affected by drought take at least
quate moisture availability in two to three years to recover,
the soil affects the solubility negatively impacting palm pro-
and transportation of nutrients ductivity and income to the
and absorption of nitrogen and farmer (Rajagopal et al., 1996).
potassium has been shown to be It is noteworthy that about 70
below optimum under inade- per cent of this period is ac-
quate moisture conditions. counted for by the pre-
Hence, deficit moisture stress fertilization phase and only 30
and poor absorption of nutrients per cent of the period is ac-
lead to yellowing of lower counted by the fertilization and
leaves, drying of leaves and post-fertilization phases.
petiole breakage. Breakage of
leaf petiole is the typical symp-
tom of the palms affected by
drought. The dried leaves then
fall off, leaving only a few
green leaves on the crown. Sub-
sequently these top leaves also
fall off, in the event of even a
low velocity wind, resulting in
de-topping and death of the af-
fected palms.
Effect on yield and yield at-
tributes
Deficiency of water in the soil
adversely affects growth and
productivity to a considerable
extent. Soil moisture availabil-
ity influences inflorescence ini-
tiation and female flower devel-

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 7

Temperature stress conut based farming system.
Coconut palms in the reproduc-
tive phase are found to be more I. Soil and water conservation
sensitive to high temperature measures
stress than plants in the vegeta-
tive stages. The reproductive Soil is the basic natural re- Dried coconut leaf mulch
organs of the plants, including source that determines the
flower development, are sus- availability of nutrients and wa- Coconut husk mulch
ceptible to adverse effects of ter, the two most important in-
high temperatures, and pollina- puts, which decide the produc- Coir pith mulch
tion is one of the most sensitive tivity of crops to a greater ex-
phenological stages. Studies tent. Conserving natural re- tion for proper root growth and
undertaken at ICAR-CPCRI, sources like water and soil is proliferation of soil flora and
indicated that the cardinal tem- essential for sustaining crop fauna. The timing of mulching
peratures (Tmin, Topt and Tmax) of production in the context of is crucial for effectively con-
pollen germination and pollen climate change. In this regard, serving soil moisture. Mulching
tube growth varied with coco- the role played by the bio- the area around the base of the
nut genotypes. A bilinear model engineering and agronomic palm (1-8-2.0 m radius) before
based calculation of mean car- measures in reducing soil and the end of monsoon (and before
dinal temperatures of 12 coco- nutrient loss and conserving the the top soil dries up) will help
nut genotypes, indicated that runoff water is quite immense. retain soil moisture and prevent
the Topt, Tmin and Tmax, ranged The in situ available organic the ground from becoming hard
from 23.5°C to 29.5°C, 9.7°C materials from the coconut gar- and thus help lessen the adverse
to 16.5°C and 40.1°C to 43.9° den, viz. leaf, husk, inflores- effects of drought conditions
C, respectively. In general, tall cence waste, have high mois- and promote growth of the
cultivars such as West Coast ture holding capacity and can palms. For mulching, coconut
Tall (WCT), Laccadive Ordi- be profitably used as moisture leaves should be cut into two or
nary Tall (LCT), Federated Ma- regulators and conservators. three pieces and arranged in
lay States Tall (FMST), the This gains more practical sig- two to three layers in the coco-
dwarf cultivar Chowghat Or- nificance in light of the fact that nut basins. About 15 to 25
ange Dwarf (COD) and the hy- soils cannot be rejuvenated with fallen coconut leaves would be
brids (COD x WCT and MYD organics in the absence of suffi- required to cover 1.8 m radius
x WCT) exhibited adaptability cient soil moisture. Various of a coconut basin.
to elevated temperature whereas conservation measures which Coconut husk and coir pith can
the Malayan Yellow Dwarf include mulching, contour hold moisture to the tune of
(MYD) was found to be least trenches filled in with coconut
adaptable (Hebbar et al. 2018). husk and pineapple on the
Principle and practices of cli- bund, half moon bund with
mate resilient agricultural pineapple on the bund, catch pit
practices with pineapple on the bund and
The basic approach of climate cover cropping with legumes
resilient agricultural practices is are some of the important meth-
effective management of rain ods that can be adopted for ef-
water for crop cultivation, fective collection and conserva-
which includes collection and tion of soil and water resources
conservation of rain water, judi- and are discussed hereunder.
cious utilization of conserved Mulching coconut basins
water by adoption of efficient Mulching is the simplest and
irrigation and appropriate crop most effective climate resilient
management practices, coupled practice for sustainable coconut
with cropping system approach. production. In order to conserve
Climate resilient agricultural soil moisture in coconut planta-
practices for sustainable coco- tions, mulching with various
nut production can be broadly types of organic materials viz.,
classified under different head- coconut leaves, husk and coir
ings, viz. soil and water conser- pith can be practiced. Mulching
vation measures, soil health and not only helps in reducing soil
crop management, irrigation temperature and evaporation of
techniques and adoption of co- moisture from soil surface, it
also creates an ambient condi
8
COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

three to five times of their weight Contour trench filled with coconut husk
and hence are ideal for mulching
the basins and promote soil plants are to be planted on the
moisture conservation. Besides bund at a spacing of 20 cm x 20
conserving soil moisture, coco- cm. Pineapple plants in addition
nut husk is an important organic to stabilizing the bund, would
material and a good source of also provide additional income to Half moon bund
plant nutrients. On an average
husk constitutes 45% of the the farmer. The runoff water
weight of nut and on this basis, a from the upstream, along with has been successfully demon-
nut weighing 1,000 g will have soil particles in the runoff water, strated in coconut plantations.
450 g of husk with 20% mois- gets collected in the trenches. This measure is to be taken up
ture. Approximately 250 to 300 The coconut husk retains the where there is mild slope. Here a
husks would be required for one moisture for a longer period and flat basin with a slight inward
coconut basin. Decomposition of makes it available for plants dur- slope in the upstream is made by
the mulches after a period of ing summer months. Adoption of excavating soil from the up-
time results in enrichment of soil this intervention in coconut plan- stream side and shifting the exca-
organic matter pool. On dry tations (in farmers holdings), was vated soil to the downstream
weight basis, the average compo- effective in soil and water con- side. A bund of 50 cm height and
sition of husk is 0.23% N, 0.04% servation, with 98% reduction in 50 cm width is made at the
P, 0.78% K, 0.08% Ca and the soil loss (0.14 t/ha) as com- downstream side of the coconut
0.05% Mg. For mulching one pared to control (10.52 t/ha) and palm using the excavated soil.
coconut basin with coir pith to 10 recorded lesser water runoff Two rows of pineapple plants are
cm thickness, approximately 50 (0.17%) as compared to control to be planted on the bund, with a
kg coir pith would be required. (5.6%). Similar results were ob- spacing of 20 cm row to row and
Due to its fibrous and loose na- tained in terms of nutrient con- 20 cm plant to plant. The bund
ture, incorporation of coir pith servation, with minimum nutrient prevents runoff and water gets
considerably improves the physi- loss (1.28, 0.20 and 1.15 kg/ha/ collected within the basin and
cal properties and water holding year N, P2O5, K2O, respectively) percolates down. Roots of pine-
capacity of soil and thereby in- as compared to control (105, 22 apple act as a reinforcement to
creases the coconut productivity. and 167 kg/ha/year N, P2O5, stabilize and protect the bund, in
Mulching of coconut basins can K2O, respectively), with a per addition to giving additional in-
also be done with other organic hectare yearly nutrient saving of come to the farmer through fruit
wastes such as completely dried 103.7 kg nitrogen, 21.8 kg phos- yield. About 94% reduction in
weeded material etc. phorus and 166.85 kg of potas- soil loss (annually to the tune of
Contour trench filled with co- sium. A positive effect on coco- 0.59 t/ha as against 10.52 t/ha in
conut husk nut yield under rain fed condi- control) was recorded in farmers
This measure is to be taken up tions was also observed (over a gardens, due to adoption of this
where the land slope is high (7- four year period), with a 162% simple technology. Similarly, less
22%). Trenches of 50 cm width increase in coconut yield (93 nutrient loss was also observed
and 50 cm depth and of conven- nuts/palm/year), over pretreat- (3.30, 0.83 and 4.18 kg/ha/year N,
ient length (preferably 4 m ment yield (35 nuts/palm/year), P2O5, K2O, respectively). Higher
length) are to be made (across as a result of these management soil moisture content was observed
the slope) in between two rows practices. even during post monsoon period,
of coconut palms. The trench up to four months after cessation
should be dug in such a way that of rains, in comparison to control
it would not come in line with Half moon bund with two rows wherein the coconut palms reached
the basin area and will trap the of pineapple almost close to permanent wilting
water flowing down the slope
from the area in between the co- This is another effective method point within two months after ces-
conut basins. These trenches are for conserving precarious natural sation of rains. Along with the
to be filled with layers of coco- resources, viz. soil and water and reduction in runoff, soil erosion,
nut husk, with the bottom layers nutrient loss, 63% increase in
facing up (concave side up) and
top layer facing down. A bund of
50 cm height and suitable width
(50 cm) is to be made at the
downstream of the trench using
the excavated soil. To stabilize
the bund, two rows of pineapple

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 9

yield (70 nuts/palm/year) over filled with coconut husk and
pre treatment yield of 43 nuts/ coconut leaves. Coconut husks
palm/year was also recorded need to be filled in layers with
(Mathew et al., 2018). the bottom layers facing up and

Staggered catch pit top layer facing down. The top

Catch pit technology is very ef- Husk burial in interspace and trench Raising fodder grass by adopting husk
fective in conserving soil and covered with coconut leaves burial technology
water resources and can be con-
structed in all slopes. By adopt- portion of the trenches are filled
ing this technique, the soil loss with coconut leaves and finally
was 0.69 t/ha/year and the nu- covered with soil. At ICAR-
trient loss was 2.71, 0.56 and CPCRI, it has been demon-
3.87 kg/ha/year, N, P2O5 and strated that by adoption of this
K2O, respectively. Though husk burial technology in coco-
there are no standard dimen- nut plantations in coastal sandy
sions for catch pits, for conven- soil, different intercrops like
ience catch pits of 1.5 m length vegetables, fodder grass, fruit
x 0.5 m width x 0.5 m depth crops can be successfully
can be adopted. A bund is to be grown (Subramanian et al.,
made downstream of the catch 2007)
pit using the excavated soil and
strengthened by planting pine- Cover cropping to reduce soil
apple plants. This pit may or erosion
may not be filled with coconut Crops like Calopogonium, Pu-
husk. If it is without husk, peri- eraria, cowpea (Vigna ungui-
odic measurement of the depth culata), Sesbania bispinosa (S.
of the pit indicates the amount aculeata), Sunhemp
of soil collected inside the pit, a (Crotalaria juncea), Mimosa
direct measurement of soil ero- etc. can be grown as cover
sion. Remarkable impact of crops in coconut gardens where
catch pit on coconut palm yield mild to steep slopes are preva-
was observed at ICAR-CPCRI, lent. Growing of cover crops
with a 96% increase (49 nuts/
palm/year) over the pre treat-

Opening of trenches and husk burial in
the trenches

Catch pit with pineapple border Establishment of grass in the inter- Cowpea
spaces
ment yield (25 nuts/palm/year). protects the soil from the beat-
Coconut husk burial in inter- ing effect of rain, especially
spaces high intensity rainfall, and pro-
motes percolation of the rain-
Husk burial in interspaces can water, in addition to preventing
be undertaken in any coconut soil as well as nutrient loss.
plantation, for moisture conser- Further, the cover crops also
vation. Trenches of 120 cm serve as a green manure and
width x 60 cm depth and con- enrich the soil.
venient length can be made in
between two rows of coconut 10
palms. These trenches are then

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Sunhemp years. Lot of opportunities exists maximum vegetative growth
for management of soil fertility stage of legumes) into the soil.
Sesbania in coconut plantation by using
bio-resources. These technolo- Horse gram
Mimosa gies are cost effective, environ-
ment friendly, easily adoptable Field experiments on basin man-
II. Soil health and crop man- and facilitate efficient utilization agement with legumes in adult
agement of local resources. Adoption of coconut plantations at ICAR-
such agro-techniques based on CPCRI have revealed the effec-
The coconut palm is unique in local resources, is a feasible op- tiveness of this technique in sub-
the sense that once it starts flow- tion for small holders to sustain stituting nitrogen fertilizer re-
ering, the production phase oc- productivity of land resources quirement for coconut up to 30
curs throughout the year and all and develop a viable coconut per cent. The effectiveness of
through its life. Therefore there farming unit. legumes as a component in the
is a steady intake of nutrients by Coconut basin management management of root (wilt) dis-
the palm, resulting in consequent with leguminous crops ease affected coconut palms has
depletion of the same from the Growing a green manure crop in also been demonstrated. Legume
soil. This necessitates application situ and incorporating it into the species viz. Pueraria phaseol-
of optimum quantum of nutrients soil is probably the easiest and oides, Mimosa, Calopogonium
to the soil, equally from organic most economical method of aug- mucunoides, cowpea (Vigna un-
and inorganic sources, for sus- menting organic matter in the guiculata), sunhemp (Crotolaria
taining the production over soil. It involves cultivation of juncea), horse gram
leguminous plants having symbi- (Macrotyloma uniflorum) and
otic association with efficient daincha (Sesbania bispinosa/S.
Rhizobium strains in coconut aculeata) have been found supe-
basins and interspaces during the rior in terms of biomass and ni-
trogen contribution in coconut
Cowpea basins. They have been found to
contribute about 15-25 kg of bio-
Sunhemp mass and 100-200 g of nitrogen
in coconut basins during a
monsoon period and incorpora- growth period of 60-120 days
tion of generated biomass (at the during the monsoon season. In-
oculation of the legume seeds
with Rhizobia culture followed
by pelleting of the inoculated
seeds with neutral or inert mate-
rials enhances nodulation by the
introduced Rhizobia in acidic
soils.
Growing Glyricidia as green
manure crop
Generation of large quantities of
nitrogen rich biomass is also pos-
sible through the cultivation of
fast growing perennial leguminous

11 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Glyricidia as alley crop Coconut leaf vermicomposting in tanks Earthworm, Eudrilus sp

green leaf manure crop Glyri- Coconut leaf vermicompost Kalpa Organic gold
cidia in the coconut plantations.
This can be easily grown along Application of Bio-inoculants taining adequate number of me-
the borders of coconut planta- Bio-inoculants are carrier-based tabolically active microorganisms
tions to generate adequate preparations containing benefi- and before the expiry period men-
amount of nitrogen rich green cial microorganisms in a viable tioned on the packet. Optimum
leaves. It can also be raised in state intended for seed or soil soil moisture is essential after
littoral sandy soils where other application and designed to im- biofertilizer application, to ensure
green manure crops generally prove soil fertility and help plant survival of the introduced micro-
cannot be grown. Pruning of growth by increasing the number bial inoculums in the soil. There-
Glyricidia plants can be started and biological activity of desired fore, in rain fed plantations, ap-
one year after planting and at microorganisms in the root envi- plication of biofertilizers should
least thrice a year (February, ronment. preferably be undertaken with the
June and October). Studies con- Bio-inoculant formulations con- onset of monsoon, while under
ducted at ICAR-CPCRI have taining Azospirrillum spp. and irrigated conditions, it can be ap-
indicated that the best growth Phosphate solubilising bacteria plied at any time, since optimum
and biomass of leaves could be (108 colony forming units /g of moisture was always maintained.
obtained with planting of three carriers such as talc or vermi-
rows of Glyricidia at l m x l m compost) are to be applied @100 Kera Probio bio-inoculant packet
spacing between two rows of g per palm. ‘Kera Probio’, a talc
coconut palms and pruning of formulation of Bacillus
leaves at four months interval, megaterium, developed at ICAR-
producing around 8 t of biomass, CPCRI, is effective for raising
which can effectively supply co- robust coconut seedlings. Simi-
conut palms around 90%, 25% larly ‘KerAM’, an Arbuscular
and 15% of the requirement of Mycorrhizal bio-inoculant con-
N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively taining Claroideoglomus etuni-
(Subramanian et al., 2000). catum, with high potential to in-
Recycling of in situ biomass crease growth of coconut seed-
through vermicomposting lings, has been developed at
The availability of waste biomass ICAR-CPCRI. The bio-inoculant
from a well-managed coconut should be mixed with one kg
garden (with population of 175 vermicompost and applied to soil
palms/ha) has been estimated to and incorporated. Care should be
be around 14-18 t/ha, in the form taken to use biofertilizers con-
of leaves, spathe, bunch waste
and husk (Subramanian et al.,
2005). Natural decomposition and
nutrient release from these wastes
are very slow due to the high lig-
nin content. This material, how-
ever, can be effectively recycled
through vermicomposting using
the earthworm Eudrilus sp. Coco-
nut leaf vermicompost has a C:N
ratio of 9.95, with 1.8% N, 0.21%
P2O5 and 0.16% K2O and organic
carbon content of 17.84%.

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 12

KerAM bio-inoculant packet the palm (in leaf 14 at the begin- rescence, epicuticular wax con-
ning of the dry season). Chlorine tent, activities of lipases, prote-
Integrated nutrient manage- is reported to function as an os- ases, glutamate oxaloacetate
ment motic pressure regulator and transaminase and acid phos-
The water holding capacity of cation balancer. It has been ob- phatase are major parameters for
soil can also be improved by the served that stomata of coconut the identification of drought tol-
application of bulky organic ma- leaves deficient in chlorine do erant coconut cultivars
nures. Application of farmyard not function properly. Further, (Rajagopal et al., 1988; Repellin
manure/compost/green leaf ma- chlorine deficient palms are re- et al., 1994). High biomass pro-
nure @ 50 kg per palm/year ported to have lower leaf produc- duction capability with high har-
along with inorganic NPK (based tion, lesser number of leaves and vest index for oil, copra and nuts
on soil test value), will improve with slower growth than normal also are important criteria for
nutrient availability to the palm palms. The role of the chloride selection of the varieties with
for sustained coconut production. ion in maintaining gas exchange climate change resilience.
Results from the long term ma- (net assimilation and transpira- Studies undertaken at ICAR-
nurial experiment at ICAR- tion) in dry weather through CPCRI, have reported better
CPCRI Kasaragod also indicated stomatal regulation has also been adaptability and drought toler-
higher coconut productivity un- reported (Braconnier and Bon- ance in tall cultivars, viz. West
der integrated nutrient manage- neau, 1998). Coast Tall, Laccadive Ordinary
ment in rain fed cultivation. Adoption of improved planting Tall, Federated Malay States
Traditionally, in the West Coast material Tall, Java Tall, Fiji Tall, Philip-
region of India, farmers cultivat- In addition to the crop manage- pines Ordinary Tall and Anda-
ing coconut under rain fed condi- ment strategies discussed above, man Giant Tall. Further studies,
tions, apply sodium chloride use of coconut varieties with indicated that the tall varieties,
(common salt) to the palm basins wider adaptability as well as tol- Kalpatharu (selection from Tip-
to enhance the ability of the erance to abiotic/biotic stress will tur Tall) and Kalpa Pratibha
palms to tolerate moisture deficit help increase coconut production (selection from Cochin China
stress. In Philippines, application and productivity and mitigate Tall), accumulated higher bio-
of common salt (up to 4.5 kg/ climate change effects. It is pos- mass over the dwarfs (Chowghat
palm/year) was found to reduce tulated that intensive genetic and Green Dwarf and Malayan Yel-
palm mortality, leaf defoliation, agronomic adaptation to climate low Dwarf) when grown with
advancepalm recovery after the change can benefit the coconut same water input, suggesting
start of the rains and increase production in India (Naresh better WUE in talls over dwarfs.
copra yield from 10 to 15 kg/ Kumar and Aggarwal, 2013). Both drought avoidance mecha-
palm (averaged over eight sea- A cultivar with more roots and a nism like high root biomass and
sons). Studies undertaken in fine root density is less affected drought tolerant mechanism like
Philippines by Magat et al. by drought (Cintra et al., 1993), epicuticular wax deposition, in-
(1988) reported that the mortality and hence the simplest approach creased superoxide dismutase
of coconut palms during the long to promote genetic adaptation is (SOD) and polyphenol oxidase
dry season was negatively corre- to grow improved varieties and (PPO) activity were found to be
lated with the chloride status of hybrids developed from locally high for talls. Further, under
adapted Tall cultivars under im- stress the Talls partitioned higher
proved crop management, par- biomass towards roots, plausibly
ticularly in regions projected to to facilitate better extraction of
be negatively impacted by cli- available soil moisture. In India,
mate change. Utilization of iden- improved varieties with better
tified in situ drought tolerant adaptability/relative drought tol-
palms in the coconut improve- erance have been released for
ment programme will also con- cultivation viz., Chandra Kalpa,
tribute to development of varie- Kera Keralam, Kalpa Dhenu,
ties more resilient to climate Kalpa Mitra, Kalpa Pratibha,
change. Kera Chandra, VPM 3, Kera
Studies have indicated that Bastar, Kalpa Samrudhi (MYD x
drought tolerance in coconut is WCT), Kera Sankara (WCT x
associated with many phenotypic COD), Laksha Ganga (LCT x
and also physiological traits such GBGD) and Chandra Laksha
as leaf stomatal frequency, (LCT x COD).
stomatal index, chlorophyll fluo- Flowering and fruit set is ad-
versely affected below 13°C.
Spear leaf damage, browning and

13 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

drying of leaves, immature nut III. Efficient water manage- IV. Adoption of coconut based
fall, blackening of fruits and un- ment farming system
even or wrinkled kernel forma- Climate change will also have a
tion are symptoms associated negative impact on water avail- Coconut based cropping/farming
with cold damage. Variation in ability, resulting in water becom- system approach is one among
cold tolerance has been observed ing a critical input. So it is im- the best climate resilient strate-
among coconut cultivars and the perative to use each and every gies. Coconut as a monocrop
Hainan Tall of China and Kam- drop of the available water more does not fully utilize the basic
rupa Tall of India are reported to effectively for crop production resources such as soil and
possess cold tolerance. Studies and hence the method of irriga- sunlight available in the garden.
undertaken at ICAR-CPCRI, in- tion and system of irrigation is The growth habit and planting
dicated variation in cardinal tem- more important and should en- methods of coconut, facilitate
peratures for pollen germination sure saving of water, energy and intercropping in the interspaces.
and pollen tube growth in coco- labour and focus on higher water Considering that the active root
nut genotypes and tall cultivars use efficiency (WUE). zone of coconut is confined to 25
such as West Coast Tall, Lac- Drip irrigation per cent of the land area and the
cadive Ordinary Tall, Federated Drip irrigation is a climate resil- remaining area can be profitably
Malay States, the dwarf cultivar ient technology with high WUE exploited for raising subsidiary
Chowghat Orange Dwarf and the and ideally suited for coconut crops.
hybrids (Chandra Sankara and production, as it saves water, The orientation of leaves in the
Kalpa Samrudhi) exhibited energy and labour. However to coconut crown facilitates penetra-
adaptability to elevated tempera- reap the full benefit of drip irri- tion of sunlight to the ground in
ture whereas the Malayan Yel- gation, it is essential that suffi- the interspaces and provides op-
low Dwarf was least adaptable cient care is taken to ensure portunities for exploitation of
(Hebbar et al., 2018). proper installation of the system land and solar energy for inter/
Pest and disease tolerance should for effective delivery of water in mixed cropping. Farm resources
also be included in the crop im- the subsurface and in the active like land, labour, sunlight, water
provement efforts, as coconut root zone. and nutrients can be effectively
palms may become vulnerable to Studies on root absorption in co- utilized in such a system and
pests and diseases in climate conut indicate an active absorp- higher productivity can be
change scenario. In India, much tion zone 0.75 m to 1.25 m from achieved as a result of synergistic
lesser incidence of eriophyid the bole and hence it is recom- interaction among the crop and
mite damage, as compared to the mended to place the emitter/ crop-livestock components.
local West Coast Tall coconut micro tubes in the centre of that Coconut offers scope for inter-
cultivar, has been observed in the area (about 1 m from bole). Fur- cropping in the initial stages of
released variety Kalpa Haritha. ther, loss of water through palm growth and mixed cropping
Similarly, the improved varieties evaporation can be reduced by in the later years. Crop diversity,
viz., Kalpasree, Kalparaksha and adoption of sub surface irriga- involving a number of annual,
the hybrid Kalpa Sankara with tion, allowing the water to drip at biennial or perennial crops as
higher tolerance to root (wilt) 30 cm depth by making a pit of inter/mixed crops, in coconut
disease, have been released for 30 cm-3. The pit should be filled plantations also promotes the pro-
cultivation in the disease en- with locally available mulch or ductivity and sustainability of the
demic zones. coir pith (if available nearby). To system.
Enhanced CO2 concentrations, facilitate effective sub surface A variety of intercrops like tubers
associated with climate change delivery of irrigation water, a [cassava (Manihot esculenta),
variable, are likely to impose conduit pipe of 40 cm may be elephant foot yam
higher plant nutrient demand, placed diagonally and water al- (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius),
acquisition and utilization and lowed to drip through that pipe. sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas),
hence, to maintain productivity/ By this subsurface placement, greater yam or purple yam
profitability, there is a need for evaporation is minimized and the (Dioscorea alata), lesser yam
ensuring higher nutrient use effi- volume of wetted soil was 35% (Dioscorea esculenta), taro or
ciency. Studies undertaken at more than the surface placed elephant-ear or eddoe (Colocasia
ICAR-CPCRI have indicated emitters (Dhanapal et al., 1995). esculenta), cocoyam
differences in nutrient use effi- Further, fertilizers also can be (Xanthosoma sagitifolium), Chi-
ciency among coconut cultivars applied through drip irrigation nese potato (Coleus parviflorus)],
and hybrids. The released hybrid system, thus ensuring efficient rhizomatous spices [ginger
Kalpa Samrudhi has been identi- use of both water as well as fer- (Zingiber officinale), turmeric
fied to have higher nitrogen use tilizers. (Curcuma longa)], cereals [paddy
efficiency. (Oryza sativa), sorghum

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 14

Coconut + Grass + Pepper Dairy Gobar Gas Unit

Poultry Unit Pisciculture Goat Unit

Coconut Based Integrated Farming System

(Sorghum bicolor), maize (Zea can be raised in coconut gardens (when spacing adopted is 7.5-8.0
mays)], and millets [pearl millet (planted at a spacing of 7.5-8.0 m).
(Pennisetum glaucum), finger m), in the first 5 to 7 years after Intercropping in coconut gar-
millet (Eleusine coracana)], planting. den
pulses [cowpea (Vigna unguicu- During the second phase of Integrating crops and other re-
lata), green gram (Vigna ra- growth of palms, 5-20 years age, lated subsidiary agricultural en-
diata), black gram (Vigna growing of most annual crops in terprises in a system approach
mungo), red gram or pigeon pea the interspaces may be difficult like coconut based high density
(Cajanus cajan), chickpea or due to poor sunlight availability. multispecies cropping system,
bengal gram (Cicer arietinum)] However in this phase, crops coconut based integrated farming
and oilseeds [peanut or ground which can tolerate shade, such as system and multistoried cropping
nut (Arachis hypogaea), soybean Colocasia, some varieties of system is beneficial, especially in
(Glycine max), sunflower banana, fodder grass, shade the context of changes in climate
(Helianthus annuus)], vegetable loving medicinal plants etc., can patterns. Coconut based farming
crops [(pumpkin (Cucurbita be cultivated. After the palms system approach is inclined to-
pepo), ash gourd (Benincasa attain a height of 5-6 metres wards closed system approach,
hispida), chili pepper or chillies (above 20 years), that is in older that is the system depends on in-
(Capsicum annuum), French plantations, the inter crops ternally oriented rather than ex-
bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), snake mentioned in the initial stage and ternally oriented inputs. The sys-
gourd (Trichosanthes also perennials like cocoa, tem requires less fossil fuel in-
cucumerina), amaranth vanilla, black pepper, cinnamon, puts, both farm mechanization
(Amaranthus sp), brinjal or clove and nutmeg, sapota and and chemical fertilizers, and re-
eggplant (Solanum melongena), medicinal and aromatic crops sults in up to 75 percent savings
bottle gourd (Lagenaria like Chittadalodakam (Adhatoda in chemical inputs.
siceraria), bitter gourd beddomei), Karimkurinji Under coconut based farming
(Momordica charantia), ridge (Nilgirianthus ciliatus), systems, soil is covered with
gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca and L. Nagadanthi (Baliospermum vegetation to the maximum and
acutangula), scarlet gourd or ivy montanum), Vetiver (Vetiveria acts as natural mulch, thus pro-
gourd (Coccinia grandis), Indian zizanioides), arrowroot moting reduction in soil moisture
bean (Lablab purpureus), annual (Maranta arundinacea), Indian evaporation, soil erosion, as well
moringa (Moringa oleifera), long pepper (Piper longum) can as runoff. Studies conducted at
curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) be grown as mixed crops along the ICAR-CPCRI, revealed that
and tomato (Solanum with the intercrops. cocoa and cinnamon intercrop-
lycopersicum), fruit crops Perennials are recommended as ping in coconut recorded mark-
(banana, pineapple, papaya), intercrops in the third stage only edly lesser evaporation rate (2-4
flowering crops (Heliconia sp., mm per day) as compared to open
Anthurium sp., Jasminum sp.)
and fodder grass and legumes

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 15

Tapioca Elephant Foor Yam Diascora, sp.

Ginger Tumeric Banana
Bitter Gourd
Pine Apple Sorghum

Long Pepper Cocoa Giadiolous

Various Plants Suitable for Coconut Intercrops

surface observatory (>5 mm per reduction of runoff and facilitat- longer season of moderate water
day). Similarly, the diurnal varia- ing groundwater recharge. It also flow in streams and rivers down-
tion of relative humidity and va- aids in erosion control, as there is stream.
pour pressure was also lesser as less siltation and as a result less Further, trees are also important
compared to monocropping and loss of precious nutrients. Coco- for filtering air pollution and par-
open space readings. nut based farming system acts as ticulates, and help create a pro-
Coconut based farming system a permanent structure because of tected and nourishing microcli-
also reduces the beating effect of its longer life span in nature and mate in the vicinity. At ICAR-
rain on the soil and gives suffi- the system can help in breaking CPCRI, coconut based integrated
cient time for rain water to infil- the flood and drought cycle by farming system along with or-
trate into the soil, resulting in soaking up and slowly releasing ganic manure recycling, recorded
water like a sponge, providing a

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 16

Coconut Based High Density Multispecies Cropping System (HDMSCS) nut yield in West Coast region.
Journal of Plantation Crops, 46
higher water holding capacity and would be an viable option to (1): 12-20.
(19%), hydraulic conductivity sustain the coconut production Magat, S.S., Alforja, L.M. and
(42%) and reduction in soil bulk under the impending climate Oguls, L.G. 1988. An estimation
density (9%), as compared to change. of critical and optimum levels of
coconut monocropping. Simi- leaf chlorine in bearing coconuts.
larly, a 25% and 27% increase in References A guide for foliar diagnosis. The
coconut yield, over coconut APCC. 2015. https://apccsec.org/ Philippine Journal of Coconut
monocrop, was recorded under Studies, 13(2): 6-10.
high density multispecies crop- statistics# Naresh Kumar, S. and Aggarwal,
ping and coconut based inte- Bonneau, X. and Subagio, K. 1999. P.K. 2013. Climate change and
grated farming system, respec- coconut plantations in India: Im-
tively. Culture du cocotier en zone expo- pacts and potential adaptation
sée au risque de sécheresse. Plan- gains. Agricultural Systems, 117:
Conclusion tations, Recherche, Développe- 45–54.
It is certain that regions under ment, 6: 432–439. Pillai, R.V., Nair, R. B., Mathew, C.,
coconut cultivation in India, as a Cintra, F.L.D., Passos, E.E.M., De Bavappa, K.V.A. and Ramadasan,
consequence of climate change, Leal, L.S. 1993. Evaluation of A. 1973. Studies on photoperiodic
are threatened by both high tem- root system distribution in tall responsive reaction in coconut. J.
perature and water deficit stress. coconut cultivars. Oleagineux, 48: Plantn. Crops., 1 (Suppl): 89-92.
As coconut is sensitive to cli- 453–461. Rajagopal, V., Shivashankar, S. and
matic variables as well as mois- Dhanapal, R., Yusuf, M. and. Jacob Mathew. 1996. Impact of
ture, for a sustained production Bopaiah, M.G. 1995. Moisture dry spells on the ontogeny of co-
there is an urgent need to adopt movement studies under drip irri- conut fruits and it’s relation to
some of the technologies fine gation in the basins of coconut yield. Plantations, Recherche,
tuned in research organizations palm. J. Plant. Crops, 23(1): 28- Développement, 3: 251-55.
like ICAR-Central Plantation 34. Rajagopal, V., Shivshankar, S., Kas-
Crops Research Institute, Ka- Hebbar, K.B., Rose, H.M., Nair, turibai, K.V. and Voleti, S.R.
saragod, India. Adoption of both, A.R., Kannan, S, Niral, V., 1988. Leaf water potential as an
varieties tolerant to abiotic stress Arivalagan, M., Alka Gupta, Sam- index of drought tolerance in co-
and various management aspects sudeen, K., Chandran, K.P., conut. Plant Phys Biochem., 15:
to conserve the moisture in the Chowdappa, P. and Vara Prasad, 80–86.
soil have been found to be effec- P.V. 2018. Differences in in vitro Repellin, A., Daniel, C. and Zuily-
tive in sustaining the yield. Vari- pollen germination and pollen Fodil, Y. 1994. Merits of physio-
ous cropping and farming system tube growth of coconut (Cocos logical tests for characterizing the
models suitable to different agro- nucifera L.) cultivars in response performance of different coconut
climatic conditions, soil water to high temperature stress. Envi- varieties subjected to drought.
conservation measures and irri- ron Exper Bot., 153: 35-44. Oleagineux, 49: 155–168.
gation techniques are developed. Kushwah, B.L., Nelliata, E.V., Mar- Subramanian, P., Biddappa, C.C.,
Adoption of these techniques in a kose, V.T. and Sunny, A.P. 1973. Maheswarappa, H.P., Dhanapal,
holistic approach in an integrated Rooting pattern of coconut (Cocos R. and Palaniswami, C. 2000. Fea-
manner depending on the loca- nucifera L.). Indian Journal of sibility studies of growing Glyri-
tion and availability of local re- Agronomy, 18(1): 71-74. cidia sepium as intercrop in coco-
sources are found to alleviate the Mathew, A.C., Thamban, C. and nut garden under littoral sandy
drought effect to a large extent Manoj P. Samuel. 2018. Efficacy soil. J. Plantn. Crops, 28(3): 212-
of water conservation measures in 217.
coconut plantations to enhance Subramanian, P., Srinivasa Reddy,
ground water resource and coco- D. V., Palaniswami, C., Upadha-
yay, A.K. and Gopalasundaram, P.
2005. Studies on nutrient export
and extent of nutrient recycling in
coconut based HDMSCS. CORD,
21: 20-26.
Subramanian, P., Dhanapal, R.,
Palaniswami C. and Joseph Sebas-
tin. 2007. Feasibility studies on
growing hybrid Bajra Napier fod-
der grass as intercrop in coconut
under coastal sandy soil. J. Plantn.
Crops, 35(1): 19-22.
1 Authors are Senior scientists of the
ICAR-Central Plantation Research
Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala, India.

17 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

HIGHLIGHTS OF 54TH APCC SESSION/ MINISTERIAL
MEETING, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA

Mridula K.1

Hon. Dato’ Salahuddin Ayub, (in the middle) Malaysian Minister for Agriculture & Agro Based Industry Chaired
the Ministerial Meeting
A PCC Session/ organized at the Royale Chulan Guinea, Hon. Fa’aso’otauloa
Ministerial Meeting is Damansara Hotel, Petaling Jaya, Pati Taulapapa, Associate
the highest decision- Selangor Darul Ehsan, Kuala Minister for Agriculture and
making body of the Lumpur, Malaysia during 24-28 Fisheries from the Government of
Community and is held annually September 2018. Samoa. Delegates and
to discuss, deliberate and take participants included Senior
policy decisions on the activities The 54th APCC Session was Government Officials of APCC
to be undertaken by the Commu- graced by the presence of Hon. member countries and observers
nity for the sustained develop- Dato’ Salahuddin Ayub, from the Centre for Agriculture
ment of the global coconut sector. Malaysian Minister for and Bioscience International
The countries are represented at Agriculture & Agro Based (CABI) and the Melanesian
the Session by the Honorable Industry. The Plenipotentiary Sphearhead Group Secretariat
Ministers of Agriculture/Trade/ delegates from the APCC (MSG). The Governments of
Commerce, Plenipotentiary Dele- member countries included Marshall Islands, Veitnam and
gates authorized by the National Hon. Atarake Nataara, Minister Vanuatu were not represented. A
Governments and Senior Officials of Commerce, Industry and total of 65 delegates and
from the concerned Ministries. Cooperatives from the observers participated.
The 54th APCC Session / Government of Kiribati, Hon.
Ministerial Meeting was hosted Viam Pillay, Assistant Minister Official Opening Ceremony
by Ministry for Agriculture and of Agriculture, from the
Agro Based Industry, Government of Fiji, Hon. Benny The inaugural program was
Government of Malaysia who is Allen M.P Minister for graced by the presence of Hon.
the Chairman of APCC during Agriculture and Livestock from Salahuddin Ayub, Malaysian
CY 2018. The Session was the Government of Papua New Minister for Agriculture and

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 18

Agriculture, Malaysia Chaired
the proceedings of Sessions. The
Session started with the
Ministerial Meeting on four
specific agenda items which was
followed by the presentations and
discussions on the other Session
agenda items.

Establishment of the Interna-
tional Coconut Community

Hon. Dato’ Salahuddin Ayub, Malaysian Minister for Agriculture & Agro Based As per the decision of 53rd
Industry Delivering his Inaugural Address APCC Session/Ministerial Meet-
ing held in Kiribati during Octo-
Agro Based Industries who to mobilize the potential to ber 2017 resolved to establish a
inaugurated the Session in the influence global trade, trade global institution to be named
presence of the visiting policies and provide assistance in ‘International Coconut Organiza-
Ministers, dignitaries and the marketing of coconut tion’, by invoking an amendment
plenipotentiary delegates from products. He informed that to Article 5 thus removing the
the member countries. The Malaysia has launched several geographical boundaries defining
inaugural program was initiatives to invigorate the membership qualification. This
facilitated with the support of coconut industry especially in would be an upgrade from the
Mr. Uron N. Salum, Executive addressing the increasing needs regional body for only Asia and
Director, APCC. for raw materials for value added Pacific to achieve global reach.
products. He urged the member The resolution signed by the
Hon. Salahuddin Ayub in his countries to come together and Plenipotentairy delegates which
address, expressed warm collaborate in activities for the was submitted to UN Secretary
greetings to the Coconut benefit of the coconut farmers General as final process. The UN
Community. He said that he across the globe. He stressed on Treaty Office responded with the
wishes to take this opportunity to the initiatives to promote high Depository Notification dated
thank APCC for the honor given yielding coconut varieties that 20th March 2018 and it from this
to Malaysia to host the 54th could produce more nuts and date the effectively the change is
APCC Session. He extends his helps in improving productivity now current on being the Interna-
sincere appreciation to of the plantations. tional Coconut Community (ICC)
Excellencies and distinguished and which was endorsed by the
delegates of the APCC member APCC Plaque of appreciation Session of Delegates.
Countries as well as observers were presented to Hon Minister Update by APCC Scientific Ad-
for their commitment to join this for Agriculture and Agro Based visory Committee on Health
meaningful occasion. He added Industries, Government of Ma- Dr.Fabian M Dayrit, Chairman of
that this year’s occasion will laysia. APCC Plaques of Recog- the APCC Scientific Advisory
mark the transition of APCC nition were presented to the Committee on Health Updated
from the regional status to newly awardees from the coconut sector the Session on the activities un-
established international status and industry in Malaysia. dertaken by the committee on dif-
organization known as ferent issues related to responses
International Coconut Session/Ministerial Meeting and rebuttals to negative state-
Community (ICC). ments from the Presidential Advi-
Hon. Salahuddin Ayub, Minister sory by American Heart Associa-
He stressed that emphasis would for Agriculture and Agro Based tion and false statements by Karin
be given to strengthen Industry Government of Michels. The proposed areas of
collaboration between member Malaysia, presided as Chair of clinical studies to be persued by
countries particularly in the Ministerial Meeting and Hon. the Member Countries and the
maximizing the opportunities Sim Tze Tzin, Malaysian Secretariat, areas of implementa-
and promoting the coconut Deputy Minister for Agriculture tion by Member Countries with in
industry with in the respective & Agro Based Industry, Tarawa Accord. A Joint Commu-
countries and internationally Dato’Mohd Anim Bin Hasnan, nique’ was issued by the Session
consistent with government Malaysian Pineapple Industry stating Conmmunity position on
policies of each member Board and Tuan Haji Mohd the negative claims against coco-
countries. The change in status is Nasir Bin Warris, Deputy nut oil needs to be submitted to
believed to allow the community Director General , Department of UN Secretary unnanimously.

19 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Plenipotentiary Delegates of the 54th APCC Session/ Ministerial Meeting

Update by APCC Technical ments including the legislations Philippines and Sri Lanka pro-
Working Group to promote the development of vided insights for other member
Dr. Poncians A. Batugal Chair- the sector. The delegates pre- countries on the way ahead to
man, APCC Technical Working sented the status of coconut pro- ensure sustained developmental
Group updated the Session about duction, processing and export in activities in the coconut sector
the recommendations of the 48th their countries. Presented the development.
APCC COCOTECH Conference updates on the coconut replant- Report of the First Capacity
held at Bangkok during 20-24th ing, new planting and rehabilita- Building and Skill Development
August 2018, COGENT Hosting tion programs. The status of the Project
arrangements, implementation of research and development activi- Report of the first International
Tarawa Accord and PNG de- ties , policies and programs im- Certificate Course on Coconut
cleration. plemented in the country to en- Plantation Management con-
Democratic Republic of Timor hance farm productivity and in- ducted at the Coconut Research
Leste-new member of the crease the farmers income were Institute of Sri Lanka was wel-
Community also shared with the member comed by the delegates. Session
The Session of Delegates unani- country delegates. endorsed to continue the training
mously endorsed to approve full The constraints faced by the sec- with change in title to
membership status to Democratic tor and suggested road map for “International Certficate Course
Republic of Timor Leste. Timor the way forward for the coconut for Coconut Developement Offi-
Leste become the 19th Member sector were briefed by the dele- cers”.
Country of the Community. gates. The country papers helped APCC Panel of Experts Meet-
Country Papers- Gateway for in understanding the develop- ing with FAO Rome
Exchanging Ideas mental activities undertaken by The Session endorsed the meet-
Country paper presentation by the countries and helps to id- ing with FAO Rome by the
member countries gave a brief netify the replicable models for APCC Panel of Experts to con-
update on the policies and pro- customised implementation in vince FAO to firstly remove the
grams for coconut development other countries. It also helped in warning against consumption of
undertaken by National Govern- exchange of ideas and technol- coconut oil in its dietary recom-
ogy and paved way for possible mendations and restate to correct
collaborations between member
countries. The big producing
countries like India, Indonesia,

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 20

the healthy status of coconut oil. Controlled Documents under
The Session also endorsed to set International Coconut
up APCC Panel of Experts on Community
Saturated Fats.
COGENT-Hosting and The Session approved the updat-
Governance Arrangements ing of all controlled documents
The Session also endorsed the and the new corporate logo for
actions taken by the Secretariat ICC.
in relation to the hosting arrange-
ments for COGENT upon be- Agreement with Partner
coming the International Coco- Institutions
nut Community , the Global
reach required to embrace all The Session also endorsed in
COGENT regions amenable. finalising the execution of MOUs
APCC Scientific Technical Offi- The Approved Logo of the ICC with partner institutions The Pa-
cer position initially act as the cific Community (SPC), French
COGENT Coordinator. The esti- APCC COCOTECH Agricultural Research Centre for
mated cost is included in the an- Conference International Development
nual budget which also endorsed The Session endorsed the recom- (CIRAD) and Melanesian Spear-
by the Session. mendations of the 48th APCC head Group(MSG). this colabora-
50th Anniversary and Launch COCOTECH Conference and tion with the partner institutions
of International Coconut further approved the revised helps in strengthning the sector.
Community name ‘International CO-
The Session endorsed the 55th COTECH Conference’ following Observer Statement from
ICC Session/Ministerial Meeting theme ‘Promoting Smart Melanesian Spearhead
and 50th Anniversary Commemo- Farming and Eco-Friendly Group(MSG)
ration and ICC Launch. It will be Technologies for Sustainable
held in Manila and hosted by Coconut Development’ for the The statement for Melanesian
Government of Philippines dur- 49th International COCOTECH Spearhead Group Secretariat was
ing September 2019. Conference. presented by Mr. Romulo Nay-
acalevu, Programme Manager
Legal and Governance.

Exhibition during the 54th APCC Session/ Ministerial Meeting
21 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Field Trip to A Model Coconut Farm and Coconut Processing Factrory

The Melanesian region in the laries necessary for the forging scientific expertise to solve prob-
Pacific comprises the Independ- of a mutually beneficial relation- lems in agriculture and the envi-
ent States of Fiji, Papua New ship for the members. The MOU ronment.
Guinea, Solomon Islands and will enhance the synergies that With APCC and soon the ICC,
Vanuatu. The other member in- exist between programming CABI is committed to playing its
cludes the Front de Liberation work as well as those of the part to fulfil its role effectively as
Nationale Kanak et Socialiste APCC. underscored in the recently signed
(FLNKS) of New Caledonia. The CAB International Memorandum of Understanding.
MSG Secretariat based in Port Dr. Sathis Sri Thanarajoo, These include: (a) To facilitate
Vila, Vanuatu oversees the im- Scientist, Regional Centre, scientific exchange in terms of
plementation of leader’s mandate Selangor, Malaysia presented personnel and visits; (b) Conduct
which is articulated in the The Organization Statement for Research and Development in
MSG’s 2038 Prosperity for All CAB International. areas of mutual interests; (c)
Plan and other governing docu- CABI is an inter-governmental, Jointly seek funds for projects; and
ments and outcomes. In the Pros- international not-for-profit or- (d) Strengthen capacity
perity plan, the leaders envisage ganization that has its headquar- development and publication in
a sub-region premised on the 5 ters in the United Kingdom. It is helping the world achieve the
key pillars of political stability, governed by 49-member coun- Sustainable Development Goals.
economic prosperity, social eq- tries, including a number of them CABI is indeed looking forward
uity and inclusivity and sustain- from the Asian-Pacific region to an effective and meaningful
able development. who are also member countries relationship with APCC/ICC.
of APCC such as Malaysia, Viet- Field Visit
MSG Secretariat have engaged in nam, India, Sri Lanka, Philip- The delegates were taken on a
discussions to formalize the rela- pines, Papua New Guinea, Solo- field visit to the Coconut planta-
tionship through the signing of a mon Islands, through a United tions at Sungai Yu, Keluarga Jaya
Memorandum of Understanding Nations treaty-level agreement. Resources, Tanjung Karang and
with APCC/ICC. The proposed Since it begins as an entomologi- Coconut Processing Facilities at
MOU would identify the general cal committee in 1910, CABI has Kapar coconut Industry which
principles of cooperation, the developed into a truly interna- mainly producing the Coconut
core activities of partnership tional development-led, sup- Milk. The delegates had an inter-
which includes capacity building ported by both a first-class pub- action with the plantation owner
and training opportunities and lishing division and a solid scien- and the manufacturer Kapar Coco-
programs, government to govern- tific research base. CABI’s over- nut Industry and shared the experi-
ment advisory support and all mission is to improve peo-
strengthening agriculture/ ple’s lives worldwide, including 1She is Assistant Director of the
coconut linkages with coopera- those of coconut farmers, by pro-
tives, small business develop- viding information and applying International Coconut Commu-
ment centers including the pri- nity, based in Jakarta, Indonesia..
vate sector, the mechanisms of
collaboration and related ancil-

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 22

International Coconut Community
Joint Communique’

The National Ministers, Plenipotentiary Delegates and Senior Government
Officials representing member countries of the International Coconut Com-
munity at its 54th Session/Ministerial Meeting, held on 24th September 2018
at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, issued this Joint Communique’ unanimously de-
claring their position relating to continuing false statements and negative
claims against Coconut Oil as set out hereunder:

1. Cocos nucifera, the Coconut palm, is grown in over 90 countries from
which millions of families from many cultures utilize Coconut as a health
food for daily nourishment, body care and as an economic crop that sup-
ports the welfare of poor rural families.

2. Coconut, coconut oil and coconut food products are consumed by over 1
billion people in the world with export earnings estimated at over USD5
billion annually.

3. Virgin Coconut Oil is extracted from fresh kernel of the mature coconut.
Coconut milk and cream from fresh kernel as well as organic unrefined
virgin coconut oil has been a daily dietary staple to billions for millennia.

4. Coconut oil is not the same as animal fat; it has very different acid profiles,
and comparatively, coconut oil has very little or negligible amounts of cho-
lesterol.

5. Coconut oil is a saturated fat that is 63% medium chain (C6 to C12) and is
metabolized differently from long-chain fats and has beneficial properties.
Scientific studies show health attributes of Coconut oil as antibacterial, an-
timicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiprotozoal, and anti-cancer; it improves
lipid profiles and increases the good HDL cholesterol.

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 23

International Coconut Community
Joint Communique’

6. Coconut oil does not cause heart disease as shown by studies conducted
on traditional coconut consuming societies in the Pacific where vascular
disease is not common. Pacific islanders switching from the traditional
diet to Western diets are likely to suffer heart disease, diabetes and be-
come obese.

7. Consumption of hydrogenated vegetable oils in the Western diet, as well
as other unhealthy Western foods and lifestyle, is major contributing
factor linked to heart disease.

8. Recently, Dr Karin Michels publicly claimed that coconut oil is “pure
poison” without proof, contrary to all recognized scientific norms. The
International Coconut Community demands a public apology for her
unethical conduct and retraction of the false statement.

9. The International Coconut Community is determined to seek damages
through legal justice systems against offending opposition parties to
Coconut oil, where losses or potential for economic losses appear possi-
ble.

10. The International Coconut Community upholds truth as the basis of in-
tegrity and credibility. It will therefore no longer tolerate malicious at-
tempts to tarnish the reputation of Coconut oil that could cause severe
economic losses to the industry.

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 24

Is Coconut Oil A Poison?

Dr. Bruce Fife

“Coconut oil is pure poison,”

claims Karin Michels, PhD, a
part-time professor at Harvard
TH Chan School of Public
Health. Her comments given in a
talk at the University of Freiburg,
Germany, sparked a media
frenzy with headlines such as,
“Coconut Oil is Pure Poison Har-
vard Professor Claims” appear-
ing in newspapers and on the
internet.

What makes Dr. Michels an au-
thority on coconut oil? She is not
a physician, or a nutritionist, or
even a biologist. Her PhD is in
biostatistics. Her specialty is sta-
tistics—manipulating numbers—
not the study of diet or fats and
oils. From her profile on the Har-
vard website, it appears she has
never published any studies on
saturated fat, let alone on coco-
nut oil. Her comments were not
based on any of her own pub-
lished research, but were simply Coconut Oil
her opinion based on old, out-
dated theories about saturated There has never been a study and some potentially harmful.
fats. published that has been able to Saturated fats, and in particular
show that saturated fats or coco- coconut oil, have been shown to
nut oil cause heart disease. The raise HDL, the good cholesterol,
diet-heart disease hypothesis that that has been shown to protect
Michels calls coconut oil “pure has been popular for the past 6 against heart disease. The ratio of
poison,” saying it was “one of decades basically states that heart total cholesterol to HDL choles-
the worst foods you can eat” be- disease is caused by high choles- terol is considered one of the
cause it is full of saturated fat, terol. Many studies have shown most accurate and reliable indi-
and “saturated fatty acids can that some saturated fats can raise cators of heart disease risk. Co-
clog your arteries.” She adds that blood cholesterol, and therefore conut oil raises HDL, which low-
“there is no study that proves it has be assumed that eating too ers the cholesterol ratio, thus
significant health benefits of co- much saturated fat can promote lowering the risk of heart dis-
conut oil.” or even cause heart disease. Re- ease.1

Dr. Michels makes three general searchers have been trying to It is apparent that Dr. Michels
claims: 1) saturated fats cause prove this hypothesis for over a has not kept up with the current
heart disease, 2) coconut oil is a half a century without success. In science on coconut oil or fats and
poison, and 3) there are no stud- fact, many studies have seriously oils in general. Earlier this year
ies that show any health benefits challenged this hypothesis and researchers at the University of
to coconut oil. Let’s look at what serious researchers have now Cambridge School of Clinical
the science actually says about moved on to studying new, more Medicine published a study on
each of these statements. likely, causes for heart disease. the relationship between coconut
Cholesterol is no longer consid-
ered the evil villain as it was oil and heart disease risk. The
Saturated Fats Cause Heart once portrayed. There are many researchers compared the effects
Disease types of cholesterol, some good of coconut oil with butter and

olive oil. Butter was chosen to

25 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

represent a commonly used study involved 35,597 partici- Coconut Oil is a Poison
highly saturated animal fat and pants. The researchers also con-
extra virgin olive oil was chosen cluded that high saturated fat Dr. Michels calls coconut oil
as it is generally regarded as one intake was not associated with “pure poison.” She claims it is
of, if not the healthiest of fats. increased risk of ischemic heart not just a poison, but a “pure”
The study involved 96 partici- disease.4 poison; the connotation is, that it
pants who were assigned to con- In 2010 a groundbreaking study is extremely dangerous at even
sume 50 mg (about 3 table- was published clearly showing the smallest dosage. What is a
spoons) of one of each of the that saturated fats do not cause poison? According to the English
three oils daily for 4 weeks as a heart disease. The study pub- Oxford Living Dictionary, poison
part of their ordinary diet. The lished in the American Journal of is defined as, “A substance that is
researchers found that coconut Clinical Nutrition analyzed all capable of causing the illness or
oil dramatically raises the protec- the previous studies with data for death of a living organism when
tive HDL cholesterol without dietary saturated fat intakes and introduced or absorbed.” Does
affecting the LDL or so-called the risk of cardiovascular dis- coconut oil fit this definition? Not
bad cholesterol. Coconut oil low- ease. This meta-analysis com- hardly.
ered the cholesterol ratio, and the bined the data from 21 previ-
risk of heart disease, more than ously published studies, involv- Coconut oil has been a major part
either of the other two fats, indi- ing over 347,000 subjects. of the diet of millions of people
cating that it is even more heart- The study showed that there was for thousands of years. In all that
friendly than extra virgin olive no connection between saturated time it has never been known to
oil.2 fat consumption and heart dis- cause any illness or kill anyone.
In recent years numerous studies ease. Those people who ate the On the contrary, there are many
have exonerated saturated fat as greatest amount of saturated fat plants that are poisonous such as
a cause of heart disease and put where no more likely to suffer a hemlock, belladonna (deadly
to rest the outdated diet-heart heart attack or stroke than those nightshade), and death cap mush-
disease hypothesis. Last year the who ate the least. No matter how rooms. Consuming any of them,
Lancet, one of the most prestig- much saturated fat one ate, the even in small amounts, will bring
ious medical journals in the incidence of heart disease was about sudden illness and quick
world, published a study involv- not affected. This was the most death. Coconut oil, on the other
ing a team of 37 researchers from complete review of the medical hand, can be consumed daily in
18 countries. They gathered data research on saturated fat ever relatively large quantities without
on 135,000 subjects to evaluate done up to this time.5 any ill effect. I know some people
heart disease risk in relation to Four years later, a different who consume as much as 12 ta-
fat intake. They discovered that group of researchers from the blespoons (180 ml) a day and are
fat consumption protected University of Cambridge pub- in excellent health.
against heart disease and in- lished another meta-analysis.
creased lifespan. Those people This time the researchers com- According the United States Food
who cut back on fats, including bined the data from 72 previ- and Drug Administration (FDA)
saturated fat, had far shorter lives ously published studies involving coconut oil is perfectly harmless.
than those who ate coconut oil, more than 600,000 participants It is included among the FDA’s
butter, cheese, and meats. Con- from 18 countries. The research- exclusive GRAS (Generally Re-
suming high levels of all fats, cut ers basically combined all the garded as Safe) list of food sub-
early death rates by up to 23 per- highest quality studies on fats stances. To be included on this
cent. The researchers stated that and diet that had been done for list requires rigorous testing to
they found no correlation be- the past several decades and ana- confirm that the item is safe. Co-
tween saturated fat consumption lyzed them together. The results conut oil is given a GRAS classi-
and cardiovascular disease and confirmed the previous meta- fication of “1,” which is the high-
that current dietary restrictions analysis—there is no connection est or safest category within the
on saturated fat should be re- between saturated fat intake and GRAS list. According to the FDA
vised.3 heart disease.6 this means that all available stud-
This isn’t the only study in recent The studies are clear, neither ies and historical data have
years that has called for a revi- saturated fat nor coconut oil shown that there is “no evidence”
sion on the recommendation to cause or even promote heart dis- that shows or even “suggests”
restrict saturated fats. A study ease. Because they raise good that coconut oil is harmful in any
published in the American Jour- HDL cholesterol and lower the way.7
nal of Clinical Nutrition a year cholesterol ratio, if anything,
earlier investigated whether die- they help to protect against it.
tary saturated fat was associated
with ischemic heart disease. The

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 26

It is ironic that Dr. Michels calls ing on the listener to take their Michels on this subject, who have

coconut oil a poison, because it word on this simply because they studied and published works on

has proven to be not only harm- are considered an expert. In real- the health effects of coconut oil.

less, but highly effective in sav- ity, what they are doing is expos- One group of Harvard researchers

ing the lives of people who have ing their own ignorance and lack that includes George L. Black-

ingested actual poisons. The of knowledge on the subject. burn, MD, PhD, Edward Mas-

medical literature has described When someone makes this cioli, MD, and Vigan K. Babyan,

numerous instances in which co- type of statement it means they PhD state, “Coconut oil has an

conut oil has been used in hospi- have not bothered to make even important medical role to play in

tal settings as an antidote to oth- the slightest effort to find the nutrition, metabolism, and health

erwise fatal poisonings. For in- facts. If they had, they would care. Indeed, properly formulated

stance, the use of coconut oil has have found an abundance of in- and utilized, coconut oil may be

become a routine practice in some formation and research on coco- the preferred vegetable oil in our

hospitals in the treatment of alu- nut oil describing its many health diet and the special hospital foods
minum phosphide poisoning.8 benefits. Currently, there are over used promoting patient recov-

Aluminum phosphide is a com- 10,000 studies on coconut oil ery.” These researchers made this

mon poison used for rodent con- listed in the medical literature. statement after having spent years

trol. There is no other known an- Most of these studies can be eas- studying the health effects of co-

tidote and poisonings are almost ily accessed on the internet. conut oil and other fats. Their

always fatal unless treated with comments hold far more author-

coconut oil. If you go to my web- ity than a biostatistician who ap-

site,www.coconutresearchcenter. parently has never even bothered

Using coconut oil to nullify the org and look under the heading to do even an internet search on

effects of poisons is not that un- “Medical Research,” you will the subject.

usual. Researchers have known find a listing of hundreds of stud-

for many years about the detoxi- ies. Here you will find references There Are No Studies That

fying properties of coconut oil. to an abundance of published Show Any Health Benefits to

Numerous animal studies have studies showing the therapeutic Coconut Oil

shown that coconut oil blocks the or beneficial effects of coconut

deleterious effects of a number of oil on cardiovascular health, im- One of the most common argu-

different chemical toxins. Coco- mune function, cancer, diabetes, ments given in an attempt to dis-

nut oil has been shown to allevi- liver and kidney health, digestive credit coconut oil is to claim that

ate the effects of at least 36 function, weight management, there is no evidence proving co-

known toxins ranging from indus- and much more. To say that there conut oil has any health benefits.
trial solvents to aflatoxin.9
is no evidence for the health When a doctor or professor

benefits of coconut oil is totally makes this statement, he or she is

Calling coconut oil a pure poison wrong and indicates that the inferring that there are no studies

only illustrates Dr. Michels’ lack speaker is either woefully igno- to support the use of coconut oil

of knowledge about coconut oil, rant, too lazy to do any research, as a healthy fat. They are count-

which makes anything she says or lying. ing on the listener to take their

about it totally unreliable. word on this simply because they

If you want to know the truth are considered an expert. In real-

There Are No Studies That about saturated fats and coconut ity, what they are doing is expos-

Show Any Health Benefits to oil you should not listen to pro- ing their own ignorance and lack

Coconut Oil fessors who have no idea what of knowledge on the subject.

they are talking about, instead

One of the most common argu- listen to researchers who have When someone makes this type

ments given in an attempt to dis- actually researched the topic. One of statement it means they have

credit coconut oil is to claim that of the reasons why Dr. Michels’ not bothered to make even the

there is no evidence proving co- comments received such notori- slightest effort to find the facts. If

conut oil has any health benefits. ety is because of her association they had, they would have found

When a doctor or professor with Harvard. Being a Harvard an abundance of information and

makes this statement, he or she is professor gives a person some air research on coconut oil describ-

inferring that there are no studies of authority. However, there are ing its many health benefits. Cur-

to support the use of coconut oil other Harvard professors who are rently, there are over 10,000 stud-

as a healthy fat. They are count- far more qualified than Dr. ies on coconut oil listed in the

27 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

medical literature. Most of these Chronic Inflammation Prostate Enlargement
studies can be easily accessed on
the internet.

If you go to my web- Ulcerative Colities Urinary Tract Infection
site,www.coconutresearchcenter. Kidney Disease Stomach Ulcer
org and look under the heading Pancreatitis Constipation
“Medical Research,” you will Overweight Stroke
find a listing of hundreds of stud- Flue
ies. Here you will find references Acne Psoriasis
to an abundance of published Hepatitis Diabetes
studies showing the therapeutic or Sunburn Heart Desease
beneficial effects of coconut oil Liver Disease
on cardiovascular health, immune
function, cancer, diabetes, liver
and kidney health, digestive func-
tion, weight management, and
much more. To say that there is
no evidence for the health bene-
fits of coconut oil is totally wrong
and indicates that the speaker is
either woefully ignorant, too lazy
to do any research, or lying.

If you want to know the truth Crohn’s Disease Kidney Disease
about saturated fats and coconut
oil you should not listen to pro-
fessors who have no idea what
they are talking about, instead Scientifically Proven Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

listen to researchers who have ently has never even bothered to Clin Nutr 2016;103:356-365.
actually researched the topic. One do even an internet search on the 5. Siri-Tarino, PW, et al. Meta-
of the reasons why Dr. Michels’ subject.
comments received such notoriety References analysis of prospective cohort
is because of her association with 1. Assuncao, ML, et al. Effects of studies evaluating the associa-
Harvard. Being a Harvard profes- tion of saturated fat with car-
sor gives a person some air of dietary coconut oil on the bio- diovascular disease. Am J Clin
authority. Nutr 2010;91:535-546.
6. Chowdhury, R, et al. Associa-
tion of dietary, circulating, and
However, there are other Harvard chemical and anthropometric supplement fatty acids with
professors who are far more profiles of women presenting coronary risk: a systematic
qualified than Dr. Michels on this abdominal obesity. Lipids review and meta-analysis. Ann
subject, who have studied and 2009;44:593-601. Intern Med 2014;160:398-406.
published works on the health 2. Khaw, KT, et al. Randomised 7. https://www.fda.gov/Food/
effects of coconut oil. One group trial of coconut oil, olive oil or IngredientsPackagingLabeling/
of Harvard researchers that in- butter on blood lipids and other GRAS/SCOGS/default.htm.
cardiovascular risk factors in
cludes George L. Blackburn, MD, healthy men and women. BMJ 8. Singh Baiwa, SJ, et al. Manage-
PhD, Edward Mascioli, MD, and Open 2018;8:e020167. ment of celphos poisoning with
Vigan K. Babyan, PhD state, 3. Dehghan, M, et al. Associations a novel intervention: a ray of
“Coconut oil has an important of fats and carbohydrate intake hope in the darkest of clouds.
medical role to play in nutrition, with cardiovascular disease Anesth Essays Res 2010;4:20-
metabolism, and health care. In- and mortality in 18 countries 24.
deed, properly formulated and from five continents (PURE): a 9. Fife, B. Ketone Therapy: The
utilized, coconut oil may be the prospective cohort study. Lan- Ketogenic Cleanse and Anti-
preferred vegetable oil in our diet cet 2017;390:2050-2062. Aging Diet. Piccadilly Books,
and the special hospital foods 4. Praagman, J, et al. The associa- Ltd.: Colorado Springs, CO;
used promoting patient recovery.” tion between dietary saturated 2017.
These researchers made this state- fatty acids and ischemic heart
ment after having spent years disease depends on the type 1Dr. Bruce Fife is a Certified Nu-
studying the health effects of co- and source of fatty acid in the tritionist and Doctor of Naturopa-
conut oil and other fats. Their European Prospective Investi- hic Medicine, Dirctor of Coconut
comments hold far more authority gation into Cancer and Nutri- Research Center, USA.
than a biostatistician who appar- tion-Netherlands cohort. Am J

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 28

WHO'S BEHIND THE CLAIM THAT COCONUT OIL IS
PURE POISON?

Dr. Mercola

Story at-a-Glance

 A German lecture in which Harvard professor Karen Michels proclaims coconut
oil is “pure poison” has been picked up by many English-speaking media outlets

 Michels is a proponent of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) advisory
against saturated fats such as coconut oil. She also has professional ties to Har-
vard professor Frank Sacks, who was the lead author of the AHA’s 2017 advisory
on saturated fats

 The AHA’s Presidential Advisory against saturated fats specifically identifies coco-
nut oil as a harmful fat, even though coconut oil was not included in any of the
studies AHA used to support its claims

 The low-fat myth was born and grew to take hold in the 1960s and early ‘70s, and
it is four studies from these eras that the AHA uses as the justification for their rec-
ommendation to avoid saturated fats

 Coconut oil supports thyroid function, normalizes insulin and leptin sensitivity,
boosts metabolism and provides excellent and readily available fuel for your body
in lieu of carbohydrates

C hances are you've seen need to lower their cholesterol, young girls and boys, but also in
the recent headlines the AHA recommends limiting older men and women who test
claiming coconut oil is daily saturated fat intake to 6 positive for certain HPV types.
"pure poison."1,2,3 That percent of daily calories or less.6 It's also quite clear she's been
declaration was made in a lecture HPV Vaccine Advocate Calls against saturated fats for a long
posted on YouTube by Karin Out Coconut Oil as 'Pure Poi- time. This is not uncommon,
Michels, Ph.D., professor at the son' considering how deeply in-
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Michels' statements are near- grained that myth has been. The
Public Health and director of the identical to those of the AHA. clincher and most direct explana-
Institute for Prevention and Tu- While it may be tempting to as- tion for her views on coconut oil
mor Epidemiology at the Univer- sume she's a sock puppet for the is her clear and direct ties to pro-
sity of Freiburg in Germany. processed vegetable oil industry, fessor Frank Sacks at Harvard
In the lecture,4 which is given all she does not appear to have any School of Public Health.
in German and was posted on direct industry ties to them. Her Sacks was in fact the lead author
YouTube July 10, 2018, Michels work has been almost exclu- of that 2017 AHA Presidential
proclaims that coconut oil is "one sively funded by the National Advisory against saturated fats.
of the worst foods you can eat." Institutes of Health,7 an agency In a 1995 joint letter to the editor
Such statements fall right in line of the U.S. Department of of The New England Journal of
with advice from the American Health, and has no readily appar- Medicine, Michels and Sacks
Heart Association (AHA), which ent conflicts of interest. noted that:9"The content of trans
last year sent out a Presidential That said, while Michels sup- fatty acids in our foods has been
Advisory5 to cardiologists around ports breastfeeding and has done causing concern because of re-
the world, telling them to warn a number of positive studies on ported adverse effects on serum
their patients about the dangers vitamins and general nutrition, lipid levels and coronary heart
of saturated fats such as butter she veers sharply out of rational disease. Even a typical Western
and coconut oil. thought with her views on the diet can have enough of these
According to the AHA, replacing human papilloma virus (HPV) trans isomers to elevate the risk
these fats with polyunsaturated vaccine, detailed in a 2009 pa- of coronary heart disease consid-
fats (PUFAs) such as margarine per8 titled "HPV Vaccine for erably.
and vegetable oil might cut heart All," in which she advocates the To achieve the solid consistency
disease risk by as much as 30 use of HPV vaccine not only in of the diet margarines, manufac-
percent, which is about the same turers are permitted to blend the
as statins. Overall for those who unmodified liquid oils with a

29 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

small amount of 'hardstock,' to heart health, and last year, it ally reveals the AHA's long-
which are naturally solid fats reviewed the science and came to standing prejudice, and the very
thereby producing a fat richer in the conclusion it's been right all method by which it reaches its
stearic acid, a saturated fatty acid along. Alas, the science used to conclusions.
that does not raise serum levels support this outdated view is as In 2013, the AHA released a re-
of low-density lipoprotein cho- old as the misguided stance to- port11 claiming "the strongest
lesterol. These products have a ward saturated fats itself. As possible evidence" supported the
favorable composition of fatty noted by American science recommendation to replace satu-
acids: the trans-fatty-acid content writer Gary Taubes in his exten- rated fat with PUFAs. Yet sev-
is negligible, and the saturated- sive rebuttal to the AHA's advi- eral meta-analyses, produced by
fatty-acid content is low. Marga- sory:10 "The history of science is independent researchers, con-
rines can be produced that appeal littered with failed hypotheses cluded the evidence for restrict-
to the consumer and do not con- based on selective interpretation ing saturated fats was in fact
tain either trans fatty acids or of the evidence. Today's Presi- weak or lacking.
high levels of saturated fatty ac- dential Advisory … may be the The 2017 advisory document
ids." most egregious example of Bing reveals how the AHA could con-
Crosby epidemiology 'accentuate clude they had the "strongest
Michels Promotes AHA's Out- the positive and eliminate the possible evidence." In short, they
dated Views negative' that I've ever seen. methodically came up with justi-
They methodically eliminate the fications to simply exclude any
In other words, while Michels negative and accentuate the posi- evidence to the contrary. All that
and Sacks correctly identify the tive until they can make the case was left — then and now —
dangers of trans fats, they incor- that they are surely, clearly and were a small number of studies
rectly claim that margarines that unequivocally right. that support the preconceived
contain saturated fats are a health view of what the AHA wants the
hazard as well. Last year, when The AHA concludes that only truth to be.
AHA warned against coconut oil four clinical trials have ever been Studies Included in AHA's Ad-
and butter, a number of experts done with sufficiently reliable visory Are Based on Outdated
spoke out, highlighting the se- methodology to allow them to Science
vere errors of the AHA's review. assess the value of replacing The low-fat myth was born and
SFAs with PUFAs (in practice grew to take hold in the 1960s
So, it really seems as though replacing animal fats with vege- and early '70s, and it is studies
Michels is simply promoting the table oils) and concludes that this from these very eras that the
AHA's views — a stance she and replacement will reduce heart AHA uses as the basis for its rec-
Sacks have held for decades. A attacks by 30 percent. These four ommendation to avoid saturated
basis for this view is that if a fat trials are the ones that are left fats — and as noted by Taubes,
is solid at room temperature, it after the AHA experts have sys- there are less than a handful of
must clog your arteries. But that's tematically picked through the these studies: four to be precise.
the kind of thinking that brought others and found reasons to re- A lot of nutritional science has
us trans fats in the first place, ject all that didn't find such a been published since the early
which has been proven to be the large positive effect, including a '70s, yet AHA chooses to hold on
real poison. significant number that happened to outdated science. The reason
to suggest the opposite. why is anyone's guess. One of
The most interesting part of this the studies included in the AHA's
is that her lecture was far too They do this for every trial but review was the Oslo Diet-Heart
obscure to be found and picked the four, including among the Study,12 published in 1970.
up by English-speaking major rejections the largest trials ever In this study, 412 patients who'd
media to the extent that it has, done: the Minnesota Coronary had a heart attack or were at high
and this makes me wonder Survey, the Sydney Heart Study risk of heart disease were ran-
whether the vegetable oil indus- and, most notably, the Women's domized into two groups: One
try had a hand in promoting it Health Initiative, which was the group got a low-saturated fat,
and turning it into "big news." single largest and most expensive high-PUFA diet along with on-
The AHA, with its strong ties to clinical trial ever done. All of going, long-term "instruction and
the processed food industry, these resulted in evidence that supervision" while the other
would also have a keen interest refuted the hypothesis. All are group ate whatever they wanted
in promoting the circulation of rejected from the analysis. and received no nutritional coun-
this information. seling whatsoever. As explained
Taubes, an investigative science by Taubes:13 "This is technically
AHA Still Defends Failed Hy- and health journalist who has
pothesis written three books on obesity
and diet, points out that the
Some six decades ago, the AHA AHA's advisory document actu-
declared saturated fats a danger

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 30

called performance bias and it's What's more, the AHA actually Put another way, most foods con-
the equivalent of doing an un- makes false claims when specify- tain a blend of fatty acids, not
blinded drug trial without a pla- ing coconut oil as a source of just one. Margarine and shorten-
cebo. It is literally an uncon- dangerous saturated fat since ing also contain saturated fatty
trolled trial, despite the randomi- none of the four studies they in- acids, yet the AHA makes no
zation. cluded in their analysis involved mention of this. The harder the
coconut oil. This was brought up margarine, the more saturated fat
All the physicians involved also last year by Dr. Cate Shanahan,15 it tends to contain, in some cases
knew whether their patients were a family physician and author of more than butter or lard.
assigned to the intervention "Deep Nutrition: Why Your "So, when people eat margarine
group or the control, which Genes Need Traditional Food." and shortening, in addition to
makes investigator bias all that toxic trans fatty acids they're also
much more likely. We would In an email to me, she pointed eating saturated fatty acids. And
never accept such a trial as a out that "This message from the that means that when a study
valid test of a drug. Why do it for AHA is not only false, it is dan- says it's swapping out saturated
diet? Well, maybe because it can gerous." While it's true that most fat for vegetable oils, that does
be used to support our precon- early studies on coconut oil had not equate to swapping out butter
ceptions." less than favorable results, it's and lard. It could very well be
important to recognize that those the case that margarine and
Taubes goes on to state that he studies were done using partially shortenings were among the
was so curious about this Oslo hydrogenated coconut oil, not foods that got eliminated,"
study he bought a monograph unrefined virgin coconut oil.16 Shanahan says. "And because
published by the original author. most doctors don't realize that
In it, the author describes in As always, the devil's in the de- margarine and shortenings con-
more detail how he went about tails, and hydrogenated oil is not tain saturated fatty acids, they
conducting his trial. the same as unrefined oil, even also don't consider it particularly
Interestingly, this monograph when you're talking about some- important to wonder whether or
reveals that the sugar consump- thing as healthy as coconut. This not studies like the four core cita-
tion in the treatment group was small but crucial detail is what tions mentioned in the Advisory
only about 50 grams a day — an led to the undeserved vilification are actually confounded by the
amount Taubes estimates may be of coconut oil in the first place. fact that the baseline, high-
about half the per capita con- Shanahan went on to state: "Most saturated fat diet included a sig-
sumption in Norway at that time, doctors don't notice that the nificant amount of margarines
based on extrapolated data.14 medical leadership is making and shortenings that contain
unfounded claims, and the reason toxic trans fat. Because if they
"In this trial, the variable that's they don't notice is because arti- did, then that means whatever
supposed to be different is the cles asserting the existence of health benefits were observed in
saturated fat/PUFA ratio, but the human clinical trial evidence the studies may have nothing to
performance bias introduces an- against coconut as well as all do with the reductions in satu-
other one. One group gets con- other foods high in saturated fat, rated fat. It's cutting back on
tinuous counseling to eat healthy, conflate the sources of saturated trans fat that makes the differ-
one group doesn't. Now how can fat with the saturated fat itself. ence to health."
that continuous counseling influ- Cutting Saturated Fat Has Had
ence health status? One way is Saturated fat does not actually Disastrous Consequences for
that apparently, the group that exist in the food chain; what Public Health
got it decided to eat a hell of lot they're talking about are satu- Since the 1950s, when vegetable
less sugar. This unintended con- rated fatty acids, the components oils began being promoted over
sequence now gives another pos- of triglyceride fat, the substance saturated fats like butter, Ameri-
sible explanation for why these chefs call simply 'fat.' We often cans have dutifully followed this
folks had so many fewer heart say things like 'coconut oil is a advice, dramatically increasing
attacks. “I don't know if this is saturated fat' and 'butter is a satu- consumption of vegetable oil.
true. The point is neither did rated fat.' But it would be more Soy oil, for example, has risen by
Leren. And neither do our AHA correct to say 'coconut oil is high 600 percent (10,000 percent from
authorities," Taubes writes. "All in saturated fatty acids.' Coconut 1900) while butter, tallow and
of the four studies used to sup- oil, butter, lard, tallow and every lard consumption has been
port the 30 percent number had other animal fat also contain halved. We've also dramatically
significant flaws, often this very monounsaturated and even some increased sugar consumption.17
same performance bias. Reason polyunsaturated fatty acids in Alas, heart disease rates have not
to reject them." addition to saturated fatty acids. improved even though people
The idea is foods contain blends
AHA Makes False Claims of fatty acids in varying propor-
About Coconut Oil tion."

31 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

have been following the AHA's
dietary recommendations. Com-
mon sense tells us if the AHA's
advice hasn't worked in the last
65 years, it's not likely to start
working now. As noted by
Shanahan, technology that allows
us to study molecular reactions is
relatively recent, and certainly
was not available back in the '60s
and '70s. Modern research is just
now starting to reveal what actu-
ally happens at the molecular
level when you consume vegeta-
ble oil and margarine, and it's not
good.

How Vegetable Oils Turn
Toxic

For example, Dr. Sanjoy
Ghosh,18 a biologist at the Uni-
versity of British Columbia, has Source: The telegraph, 7 Nov. 2015

shown your mitochondria cannot
easily use PUFAs for fuel due to stark contrast to the low levels food like walnuts and salmon or
the fats' unique molecular struc- produced by coconut oil, which gently processed (as in cold
ture.Other researchers have has far less double bonds to be pressed, unrefined) oils like flax
shown the PUFA linoleic acid damaged by the heat.30 and artisanal grapeseed, not from
can cause cell death in addition vegetable oils because these are
to hindering mitochondrial func- Biochemistry Versus Statistics refined, bleached and deodor-
tion.19 PUFAs are also not read- ized, and the PUFA fats are
ily stored in subcutaneous fat. According to Shanahan, the idea molecularly mangled into toxins
Instead, they tend to get depos- that PUFAs are healthier than our body cannot use."
ited in your liver, where they saturated fats fall flat when you High Cholesterol Does Not
contribute to fatty liver disease,20 enter the field of biochemistry, Lead to Heart Disease
and in your arteries, where they because it's "biochemically im- Researchers have also laid waste
contribute to atherosclerosis. plausible." In other words, the to the notion that having high
Animal and human research has molecular structure of PUFA is cholesterol is a primary contribu-
also found vegetable oils pro- such that it's prone to react with tor to heart disease in the first
mote: oxygen, and these reactions dis- place, and this is the core prem-
rupt cellular activity and cause ise upon which Michels and the
inflammation.31 Oxidative stress AHA build their conclusion that
Obesity21 Lethargy22 and inflammation, in turn, are coconut oil and other saturated
fats are bad for you. For exam-
Prediabetic Chronic pain/ hallmarks not only of heart dis- ple, a 2016 study34 published in
idiopathic pain The BMJ reanalyzed data from
symptoms23 syndromes (pain ease and heart attacks but of the Minnesota Coronary Experi-
with no discernible most chronic diseases.32,33 ment that took place between
1968 and 1973, after gaining ac-
cause)24 "Meanwhile, the folks at the cess to previously unpublished
data.
Migraines25 Crohn's disease26 AHA claim saturated fat is proin- This was a double-blind, ran-
domized controlled trial to test
flammatory and causes arterial whether replacing saturated fat
plaque and heart attacks — but with vegetable oil (high in li-
Ulcerative colitis27 Early death28 there is no biochemically plausi- noleic acid) would lower choles-
terol levels, thus reducing heart
According to Frances Sladek,29 ble explanation for their argu- disease and related deaths. Inter-
Ph.D., a toxicologist and profes- ment. Saturated fat is very stable, estingly, while the treatment
sor of cell biology at UC River- and will not react with oxygen
side, PUFAs behave like a toxin the way PUFA fat does, not until
that builds up in tissues because the fundamental laws of the uni-
your body cannot easily rid itself verse are altered," Shanahan
of it. When processed vegetable writes.
oils like sunflower oil and corn
oil are heated, cancer-causing "Our bodies do need some PUFA
chemicals like aldehydes are also fat, but we need it to come from
produced in quantities that are in

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 32

Various Brands of VCO in the Market

group did significantly lower dense ones. We didn't have this fats to energy) Normalizes insu-
their cholesterol, no mortality information in the 1960s, but we lin and leptin sensitivity.
benefit could be found. In fact, sure have it now. This is yet an- It Boosts metabolism, provides
for each 30 milligrams per decili- other crucial detail, as large LDL excellent and readily available
ter (mg/dL) reduction in serum particles have been shown to be fuel for your body in lieu of car-
cholesterol, the risk of death ac- harmless and do not raise your bohydrates (which you need to
tually increased by 22 percent. risk for heart disease. And guess avoid if you want to lose
Swapping saturated fat for vege- what? Sugar promotes harmful weight). A really important bene-
table oil also had no effect on small, dense LDLs while satu- fit of coconut oil is related to the
atherosclerosis rates or heart at- rated fats found in butter and fact that it contains medium
tacks. As noted by the authors: coconut oil promotes harmless chain triglycerides (MCTs). The
"Available evidence shows that large, fluffy LDLs.35 smaller particle size of MCTs
replacement of saturated fat in helps them penetrate your cell
the diet with linoleic acid effec- Is Coconut Oil Healthy or Not? membranes more easily. MCTs
tively lowers serum cholesterol also do not require special en-
but does not support the hypothe- The short answer is yes, organic zymes, and they can be utilized
sis that this translates to a lower unrefined virgin coconut oil is a more effectively by your body,
risk of death from coronary heart healthy choice. It's been a dietary thus putting less strain on your
disease or all causes. staple for millennia, providing digestive system.
you with high-quality fat that is Most importantly, however,
Findings add to growing evi- important for optimal health. Co-
dence that incomplete publica- conut oil: MCTs bypass the bile and fat
tion has contributed to overesti- Supports thyroid function storage process and go di-
mation of the benefits of replac- (Unlike many other oils, coconut rectly to your liver, where
ing saturated fat with vegetable oil does not interfere with T4 to they are converted into ke-
oils " The AHA also does not T3 conversion, and T4 must be tones. Your liver quickly re-
take LDL particle number into converted to T3 in order to create leases the ketones into your
consideration. There are large, the enzymes needed to convert bloodstream where they are
fluffy LDL particles and small,

33 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

transported around your body to fats, and in that advisory Sacks Other Nutritional Errors, KB
be used as fuel. Ketones are in specifically targeted coconut oil Michels
fact the preferred fuel for your — even though coconut oil was 5. Circulation, AHA Presidential
body, especially your heart and not involved in any of the studies Advisory June 15, 2017
brain, and may be key for the they included in their scientific 6. AHA, The Heart, April 30,
prevention of heart disease and review. 2107
Alzheimer's. By being immedi- 7. Harvard Catalyst, Karin B.
ately converted into energy By being immediately Michels, Ph.D., Sc.D.
rather than being stored as fat, 8. The Lancet July 25, 2009;
MCTs stimulate your body's me- converted into energy rather 374(9686): 268-270
tabolism and help promote than being stored as fat, 9. NEJM February 23, 1995;
332:541-542
weight loss. So, yes, coconut oil MCTs stimulate your body's 10.13 Cardiobrief.org June 16,
truly is a healthy staple that be- 2017
longs in everyone's kitchen. (For metabolism and help promote 11.Circulation, AHA/ACC Pre-
clarification, while coconut oil weight loss. So, yes, coconut vention Guideline November
12, 2013
contains MCTs, straight MCT oil oil truly is a healthy staple 12.Circulation, The Oslo Diet-
has a far higher concentration of Heart Study November 1,
shorter chain fats that are more that belongs in everyone's 1970
14.Statista, Per Capita Consump-
efficiently converted to ketones; tion of Sugar in Norway 1979
C8 or caprylic acid has the best When considering recommenda- to 2015
ability to convert to ketones.) tions for heart health, it's impor- 15.Drcate.com
tant to remember that heart dis- 16. New York Times March 1,
Coconut Oil May Be Contrain- ease is primarily caused by 2011
dicated if You Have Leaky Gut chronic inflammation, which is 17.Authority Nutrition June 8,
caused by excessive amounts of 2017
For all its benefits, there is at omega-6 (unbalanced omega-6 to 18.University of British Colum-
least one instance where coconut omega-336), dangerous trans fats, bia, Sanjoy Ghosh
oil is contraindicated due to its processed vegetable oils and ex- 19.Biochimica et Biophysica
lauric acid content. In his book, cessive sugar. Acta September 10, 2002:
"The Plant Paradox: The Hidden 1555(1-3): 160-165
Dangers in 'Healthy' Foods That Saturated fats, on the other hand, 20.21 Drcate.com, November 15,
Cause Disease and Weight have been repeatedly exonerated, 2016
Gain," Dr. Steven Gundry ex- with studies showing they do not 22. 23 Vancouver Sun December
plains how coconut oil may be contribute to heart disease and 18, 2014
problematic if you have leaky are in fact a very important 24.Molecular Pain 2016 Mar
gut. source of fuel for your body. 10;12
Granted, it's tough to admit 25.Pain 013 Nov;154(11):2441-
As it turns out, lipopolysaccha- you've been wrong for 65-plus 51
ride (LPS), an endotoxin, at- years. Such an admission can 26.27 Nutrition Research 008
taches to lauric acid, facilitating mar an organization's reputation. Apr;28(4):239-44
its transport past your gut lining But in trying to turn back the 28.News.com.au June 14, 2017
into your blood stream. Interest- clock to 1960 and promote mar- 29.Sladek Lab
ingly, MCT oil does not do this. garine and vegetable oils over 30.Telegraph November 7, 2015
So, if you have leaky gut, or butter and coconut oil, the AHA 31.Lipid Peroxidation in Vivo,
unless you're healthy and eating has proven itself professionally Eva Sodergren
a lectin-free diet, it may be best irresponsible and obsolete, and a 32.Curr Biol. 2014 May 19; 24
to avoid coconut oil and use lecture by one of its ideological (10): R453–R462
MCT oil instead. Caprylic acid supporters cannot change that. 33.Daily Occupation, June 12,
would be best, but neither of To learn more about how coco- 2017
these will allow LPS to piggy- nut oil benefits your health, and 34.BMJ 2016;353:i1246
back into your blood stream. why, see "Why Coconut Oil Is 35.American Journal of Clinical
So Good for You." Nutrition May 1998; 67(5):
Flawed 60-Year-Old Research 828-836
on Saturated Fat Does Not Sources and References 36.Greenmedinfo.com June 20,
'Debunk' Coconut Oil Benefits 2017
1. Business Insider August 20,
So, to summarize, Michels is 2018 Source: https://articles.mercola.com/
advocating decades' old recom- 2. Vogue August 28, 2018 sites/articles/archive/2018/09/10/
mendations that are still upheld 3. Reader’s Digest, Why Har-
by the AHA. Again, she has a vard Professor Is Calling This
professional connection to Sacks, Everyday Food “Pure Poison”
who was lead author for the 4. YouTube, Coconut Oil and
AHA's advisory on saturated

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 34

35 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

WHY COCONUT FARMERS NEED TO BE MOBILIZED TO BENEFIT FROM
VIABLE MARKETS THROUGH ECONOMIES OF SCALE

Dr. Remany Gopalakrishnan1

1. Introduction to collectively leverage their pro- marketable surplus, scarcity of
One salient feature of Indian ag- duction and marketing strength. capital, lack of market access,
ricultural holding is the fragmen- Coconut is a small holder crop lack of knowledge and informa-
tation of land and over 80% of and 98% of the holding size fall tion, market imperfections, and
lands are coming under the cate- below 2 Ha size at national level poor infrastructure and commu-
gory of small and marginal size. and in State like Kerala, 98% of nications. The practice of mobili-
Small size limits the scale of op- holdings is in the category of 0.2 zation of farmers into a commu-
eration and it poses limited scope ha. Vast majority of coconut nity as a mode of strengthening
for a successful farming. There- farmers in other developing and empowering has come to the
fore mobilization of farmers has countries also constitute small rescue of addressing these limita-
been mooted as a novel idea in holders. They generally face sev- tions.
many agricultural crops in differ- eral constraints due to the small 2. Genesis of Farmer Producer
ent concepts like group farming, size of operation. Small holding
cluster farming, contract farming size possesses inherent limita- Organizations (FPOs) in Co-
etc. All the forms share the same tions and they do not produce conut Sector.
idea of standing together for enough food to support the fam-
reaping individual benefit ily. These include the inability to To address the constraints in the
through empowerment and ex- create a scale of economies, low size of operation and their inabil-
perience sharing. Such groups bargaining power owing to small ity in reaping profit from minis-
practice and build their capacity cule farm size, a new thought

The reasons why farmers need to be mobilized 36
COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

was mooted among the coconut by organizing the small and mar- into modern value chains, many
farming community all over India ginal coconut farmers through innovative approaches and strate-
in recent times. Group approach farmer collectives. Coconut gies are being piloted for promot-
was thought of in production, pest Farmer Producer Organizations ing competitive business models
& disease management, post har- have a three tier structure consist- in agriculture. This endeavor of
vest handling, processing and ing of Coconut Producers Society aggregation of farmers will con-
marketing, collective purchase of (CPS), Coconut Producers Fed- tinue in other parts of the country
inputs, farm implements, main- eration (CPF) and Coconut Pro- too for bringing the coconut
taining labour bank, etc. Aggre- ducers Company (CPC). Farmer farmers of pan-India under one
gation of produce, and sharing Producer Organization provided a umbrella.
benefits from increased bargain- platform for the overall empow-
ing power and better remunera- erment of farming community. 4. Advantages of Farmer Col-
tive prices were the additional There are at present 9633 CPS, lectives vis-a-vis Market
advantages envisaged. 740 CPF and 67 CPCs function- Penetration

By way of integrating small pro- ing in the country. The primary goal of mobilizing
ducers and processors in their Subsequently the Government of farmers is to link small holders to
different groupings into modern India issued a National policy and markets. The solitary farmer will
value chains, many innovative process guidelines for formation be at the mercy of middlemen
approaches and strategies are pos- of Farmer Produce Organizations while trying to market their pro-
sible for Farmer groups for pro- (FPOs). This set of guidelines duce. The concept of FPO there-
moting competitive business ignited the initiatives and forma- fore thrusts on collectivization of
models in agriculture. The mobi- tion of FPOs gained momentum. producers especially small and
lization of farmer groups enables The concept is to mainstream the marginal farmers to form an ef-
farmers to enhance productivity idea of promoting and strengthen- fective alliance to collectively
through efficient cost effective ing member based institutions of address many challenges of agri-
and sustainable resource use and farmers. The famers who are the culture such as improved access
get back higher returns for their producers of agricultural products to investment, technology, inputs
produce through collective action. form groups and register them- and markets.

Much emphasis has been placed selves under the Companies Act. Government of India identified
on its potential role in poverty The FPOs organize collection, FPOs as the most appropriate
alleviation. processing, storage and market- institutional form around which
ing of their members’ produces in the mobilization of farmers is to
3. Coconut Development Board, high value markets at an optimal be made for building their capac-
the forerunner in forming price. Such organized activities ity to collectively leverage their
Farmer Groups reduce transaction cost as well. production and marketing

The fact that coconut farmers in Ownership of FPO is with its strength. With the changes in the
the country were highly unorgan- members and it is considered as organization of marketing chan-
ized and unable to pool their tiny- an organization of the producers nels, new challenges for small
marketable surplus of produce, by the producers and for the pro- and marginal farmers have been
and that the middlemen were so ducers. The vision envisaged un- crept in. In this environment of
active in the sale of their produce der the FPO is to build a prosper- greater instability and competi-
leaving the farmers with no bar- ous and sustainable agricultural tion, collective activity can serve
gaining power, Coconut Develop- sector by promoting and support- to enhance farmers’ competitive-
ment Board initiated the forma- ing member owned producer or- ness and increase their advantage
tion of Farmer Producer Organi- ganizations. Its Mission, on the in emerging market opportunities.
zations (FPO) in 2010 by collec- other hand, is to promote eco- Aggregation offers scope for cen-
tivization of farmers with the ob- nomically viable democratic and tralized infrastructure for better
jective of socio economic devel- self governing FPOs, to provide post harvest handling, processing
opment of farmers through pro- support for their promotion by and value addition. It also offers
ductivity improvement, cost re- qualified and experienced re- better options for small scale
duction, efficient aggregation of source institutions. Essential fea- value addition owing to the bulk
produce, processing for value tures of FPOs are that these are quantities like dehusking, sale of
addition, better by-product utili- the group of producers for farm husk and income from bye prod-
zation and efficient marketing of and non - farm activities, and are ucts and also to remove hurdles
the produce. Forming cluster registered bodies and legal enti- in enabling farmers’ access to the
groups and involving them in im- ties and work for the benefit of market both as buyers and sellers.
plementation of development pro- member producers. The FPOs Thus the process of backward and
grammes was started early in formed in India are in the path of forward institutional networking
2005 onwards. The FPOs also addressing the challenges of inte- among the stakeholders is taken
aimed at providing a fair, steady grating small producers and proc- place in the mobilized farmer
and reasonable income to farmers essors in their different groupings groups.

37 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

5. How does the principle of becomes less in groups than in ergy are shared among the indi-
Economies of Scale work the isolated single units. Procure- viduals than in isolation. In an
out in Farmers Collectives? ment of seeds, fertilizers, inter organization of farmer groups both
cultivation, harvesting, post har- internal and external economies of
Economies of Scale refer to the vest processing and ultimately scale are controlled and managed,
competitive advantage that lar- marketing of products run prof- as it has got technical and manage-
geentities have over smaller enti- itably in collectives. The cost per rial economies of scale as well as
ties. For eg, the cost of produc- unit of the material is lowered in external support from Government
tion is less when many units are larger production centres by pro- and other entities. It facilitates
combined to produce at once. curing raw material in bulk. It next generation who are not inter-
Farmer collectives provide econo- results in low packing cost, trans- ested to enter into agriculture but
mies of scale over independent portation cost, labour costs and can think and work collectively in
farmers. Cost of production in above all the enthusiasm and en- entrepreneurship.
coconut farming and processing

Organized coconut farmers have better access to market. 38
COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

from member farmers by paying
remunerative and attractive prices
for their produce. This has
evoked overwhelming enthusi-
asm among the farmers rather
than going in isolation which re-
sults in high cost of production
and low return. The shareholders
and other farmers are thus being
benefitted by getting better price
for coconut by avoiding the mid-
dle men. The creation of a sus-
tained market has helped these
farmers to receive their returns on
time.

The Company, with the help of
cohesive member farmers, has
established indigenous markets
for all the products manufactured.
The products range include edible
Raw material procurement from members with more remunerative price coconut oil, coconut milk oil,

It can also bring out an attitudinal The Company has established a coconut chips, coconut chutney,
change in small and marginal coconut oil processing plant with desiccated coconut, fried and
farmers when working in groups. an annual processing capacity of grated coconut, coconut cookies,
3000 MT copra which in turn burfi, squash and so on. The
6. History of Onattukara Coco- yields around 1900 MT coconut Company is marketing coconut
nut Producer Company- oil and 960 MTl oil cake. The neera products also. The firm is
Reaping benefit in viable Company invested nearly 1 Mil- to move on to export market as
Marketing through Econo- lion US D for the establishment well, for which all quality certifi-
mies of Scale of the plant. The venture is finan- cation formalities are being ful-

Onattukara Coconut Producer cially supported by Coconut De- filled. Considering the wide ac-
Company Ltd (OCPCL) is lo- velopment Board and Small ceptance of the products, the
cated in Alappuzha district of Farmers Agribusiness Consor- Company is confident about the
Kerala, the one among the four- tium under Government of India successful marketing of its prod-
teen districts of the premier coco- as well as Government of Kerala. uct both in the domestic and in-
nut growing State of Kerala. It is Since its formal inauguration and ternational markets. Without
one among the 29 Companies launching of first product in compromising the quality of the
presently registered under the 2017, the unit manufactured and product, the company is trying to
initiative of Coconut Develop- marketed more than 100 MT of capture the niche markets for all
ment Board, Government of In- coconut oil under the brand name edible and non-edible products.
dia. Being a direful and challeng- ‘Onattukara’ Global brand of
ing initiative of small and mar- Pure Coconut Oil’. The Plant is
ginal coconut farmers, it is aim- all set to utilize its full production 7. Way Forward

ing at the welfare of more than capacity when the Company at- All FPOs in the country are col-
25000 farmers in the area, of tained the second year of estab- lectively think together and work
whom, 4000 are share holders. lishment. The Company catalyses together by forming a Consor-
The company is striving hard to the activities of its farmer groups tium of Coconut Producer Com-
encourage coconut farmers to while they are undertaking farm panies. Thus Coconut sector in
move towards value added coco- and on-farm activities like coco- India is on the threshold of a sig-
nut products, thus supporting the nut nursery raising, establishment nificant transformation. The out-
endeavor of realizing consistent of organic manure units, estab- look for the region therefore
and higher income for the farm- lishment of modern copra dryers, looks bright. A systematic growth
ers. The concept of three tier coconut chips making units etc. is expected to continue on the
farmers’ collectives has been They do purchase seeds, procure- background of aggregation of
adopted in this Group also. Under ment of fertilizers, broadcasting, farmers and the resultant benefits
the ambit of Onattukara Company harvesting, collection and sale in flowing across the small and mar-
there are 235 Coconut Producer groups which ease their financial ginal families. This better posi-
Societies and 21 Coconut Pro- and physical burden. tion will sustain and other devel-
ducer Federations which together oping countries shall emulate the
work as a cohesive group. The Company is procuring raw model for overall growth of the
material for all these products industry as well as for the social

39 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

imperfections, and poor infra-
structure and communication.
Coconut Development Board
initiated the formation of Farmer
Producer Organization (FPO) in
2009 by collectivization of farm-
ers with the objective of socio
economic development of farm-
ers through productivity im-
provement, cost reduction, effi-
By Joining Hands the Farmers Gained Sense of Confidence and Strength cient aggregation of produce,

processing for value addition,
and economic upliftment of farm- acceptance within the community better by-product utilization and
ing community at global level. as well as the market environ- efficient marketing of the pro-
Many coconut growing countries ment are the most crucial factors duce.
have started emulating the idea of for the success of the Farmer col-
forming Farmer Producer Organi- lectives. It must be economically It also aimed at providing a fair,
zations to benefit from viable beneficial to the participating steady and reasonable income to
markets through economies of farmers to market their produce. farmers by organizing the small
scale. The unattended countries The FPOs are very much benefi- and marginal coconut farmers
should also emulate the idea and cial to improve the value chain of through farmer collectives. The
the strategy to make a network of agricultural produce and thereby primary goal of mobilizing farm-
Farmers’ Organizations at Asian proved to be in getting good ers is to link small holders to
and Pacific region. prices for their produce. Farmer markets. Many coconut growing
countries have started emulating
APCC can be the nodal organiza- Groups are promising new mod- the idea of forming Farmer Pro-
tion for coordination and follow els for coconut farmers who eye ducer Organizations to benefit
up. Emphasis can be bestowed on for a better future for the coconut from viable markets through
their potential role in poverty al- sector. A systematic growth is economies of scale. There is a
leviation. There is a need to syn- expected to continue on the back- need to synchronize the stake-
chronize the stakeholders includ- ground of aggregation of farmers holders including the state and
ing the state and central govern- and the resultant benefits will be central governments, financial
ments, financial institutions, peo- flowing across the small and institutions, peoples’ representa-
ple’s representatives etc to popu- marginal families. Concerted ef- tives etc to popularize the con-
larize the concept. forts need Sto be taken to sustain cept.
Farmer Groups, with the help of this bright outlook.
The FPOs are very much benefi-
research institutions and develop- 8. Conclusion cial to improve the value chain of
ment agencies, can gain more agricultural produce and thereby
knowledge about production and Small size of agricultural holding proved to be in getting good
processing technologies, crop limits the scale of operation and prices for their produce. Farmers
loans, financial institutions, and it poses limited scope for a suc- collectives are promising new
new ways of creating market cessful farming. Mobilization of models for coconut farmers who
linkages. By joining hands the farmers has been mooted as a eye for a better future for the co-
farmers gain a renewed sense of novel idea in many parts of the conut sector. APCC can be the
confidence and strength. They world to work together and reap nodal organization for coordina-
will gain strength to break the the benefits. Such groups practice tion and follow up in setting up
chain of middlemen and traders and build their capacity to collec- Farmer Producer Organizations
who were exploiting them. tively leverage their production by mobilizing farmers. Emphasis
A collective entity represents a and marketing strength. can be bestowed on their poten-
tool for small farmers to get or- Coconut is a small holders’ crop tial role in poverty alleviation.
ganized and to reap benefits not and 98% of holding size is below Emphasis also needs to be given
only from aggregation but also 2 Ha at national level and in State to popularize the advantages of
for link to evolving high value like Kerala, 98% is in the cate- mobilizing the farmers to benefit
markets. Such Group is profes- gory of 0.2 ha. The constraints of from viable markets through
sionally managed to ensure eco- farming in small holdings include economies of scale to tide over
nomic viability and to prevent the inability to create a scale of the inherent difficulties of work-
political leverage. Ultimately the economies, low bargaining ing in isolation.
success of the Collectives will power owing to small marketable 1The Author is CEO of Onnatu-
depend on the commitment of surplus, scarcity of capital, lack kara Coconut Producer Com-
member farmers. The integrity of market access, lack of knowl- pany, Ltd., Alaphuza District,
and quality of the leadership, its edge and information, market Kerala, India.

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 40

PHILIPPINE COCONUT INDUSTRY IN THE LONG TERM

Dr. Emi Q Javier1.

O ur coconut industry is undeserved and more importantly market, and;
woefully distressed. how we can turn things around 4. Relatedly, the opportunity to
Not only is its produc- moving forward. What the coco- increasingly switch into wet
tivity low and stagnant, nut industry needs is a coherent, processing (instead of copra
it is losing ground in the highly integrated and sustainable long processing) to exploit the full
competitive global vegetable oils term plan which takes into ac- value of all parts of the coco-
market. count the challenges and opportu- nut, namely coconut water,
nities, present and future. This coconut sugar, coconut fibers
The coconut levy funds (CLFs) column offers eight considera- and geotextiles, activated car-
which are now worth about P100 tions around which we can build bon, virgin coconut oil, desic-
billion upon which coconut farm- such long-term plan. cated coconut, and coconut
ers had been pinning their hopes flour; which in turn will re-
for salvation still remain frozen in The first four considerations were quire village-level, moderately
the national treasury. The bill dealt with in the first part, -sized processing hubs (small-
pending in Congress that will fi- namely: to medium-scale countryside
nally provide for the utilization of 1. Strong rationale for continuing enterprises) which will gener-
the CLF entrusts the management support to coconut for reasons ate more rural employment
of the funds with the Philippine of ecology, food security, live- and broaden ownership of the
Coconut Authority (PCA). How- lihoods, culture and tradition; coconut value chain (inclusive
ever, PCA’s charter will have to 2. Deteriorating position of CNO growth).
be amended and that could very in the global vegetable oils
well take a year, or forever, if the market, and hence the need to Intercropping for greater
45- year saga of the CLF is any lessen dependence on CNO as productivity and farmers’
indication. commodity export; incomes and higher employ-
3. Consequently, the challenge to ment
In order to bring down cost of aggressively diversify into
diesel to help temper inflation, other products such as virgin The fifth consideration is the op-
there is a threat to repeal the Bio- coconut oil, coconut water, portunity to generate more farm
fuel’s Act which mandates the and direct exports of young productivity and incomes and
use of coconut oil-derived bio- coconuts (buko) which are higher employment by intercrop-
diesel. This will impact nega- higher valued, and for which ping. Coconut lends itself well to
tively on our fledging oleochemi- there is an expanding export a multi-canopy type of
cal downstream industry.

And just yesterday, the coconut
industry suffered yet another so-
cial media blast in the continuing
polemic of the US soybean lobby
against coconut oil. A supposed
quote from a Harvard researcher
that “Coconut Oil is Pure Poison”
has gone viral. This contention
ignores the counter factual that
the fatty acids in coconut, unique
among vegetables oils, are me-
dium-chain fatty acids which are
readily digested and metabolized
as energy, and NOT DEPOS-
ITED AS FAT in the liver.
All the above conspire to make
our coconut industry a pariah of
sorts.

This two-part column elaborates Banana Intercropping in the Philippines
on why the pariah appellation is

41 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Coconut oil-based Oleochemicals produced by a company in the Philippines

agriculture. There is much Ramon and Baybay with proper ceeds of the P100 billion Coconut
sunlight filtering through the co- fertilization and weeding are Levy Fund.
conut canopy all year round to good for 2-3 tons copra per hec-
raise decent crops of annual crops tare per year. The 12 hybrids de- D o w n s t r e a m i n t e g r a t i o n
(corn, vegetables, legumes, orna- veloped by PCA researchers can with oleochemicals production
mentals and herbal crops) as well produce as much as 4-5 tons
as perennials (bananas, pineapple, copra per hectare per year. Vegetables oils are valuable raw
papaya, coffee, cacao, black pep- materials in the production of
per). Provided markets could be We should therefore persevere in specialty chemicals. There is a
arranged for these intercrops very the replanting program with mass whole family of specialty chemi-
often they will be more profitable -selected selected tall varieties cals that can be derived from
t h a n c o c o n u t i t s e l f . and dwarf x tall hybrids (6th con- CNO which have valuable appli-
Only one-third of the three mil- sideration). Priority are the 68 cations for various industries
lion hectares devoted to coconuts million unproductive senile palms such as personal and health care,
are intercropped. The entire bu- among the total coconut popula- plastics, fuels and lubricants,
reaucracy of the Department of tion of 324 million trees. food ingredients and other indus-
Agriculture (DA), not just PCA, trial uses. Since they come from
needs to be mobilized to realize Producing dwarf x tall coconut renewable sources they are in-
the additional productivity from hybrids is relatively simple. The creasingly preferred over those
the two million hectares of under- PCA experiment stations, if prop- derived from oil and gas fossil
utilized coconut farm lands. erly staffed and funded, can pro- sources.
duce one million hybrid seedlings
Raising primary productivity a year. However our goal should However, our domestic oleo-
w i t h h y b r i d s a n d at least be 10 million hybrid seed- chemicals industry is up against
adequate fertilization lings a year. For this we need stiff competition from behemoth
about 1000 hectares of hydriza- conglomerates in Indonesia and
All along, the basic challenge is tion gardens. We will need 250 Malaysia whose raw material is
the low primary productivity of farmer cooperators each with four palm oil (which is cheaper than
the coconut palm itself. Our na- hectares, strategically dispersed CNO) and whose operations are
tional average yield is only 43 in the major coconut growing seamlessly integrated with huge
nuts per tree year equivalent to provinces. At P60 per hybrid oil palm estates. Since we cannot
0.75 ton copra per hectare per seedling, the annual cost is P600 compete head-on with the oil palm
year. Current selected tall varie- million. The P600 million per conglomerates we should focus
ties like the Laguna Tall, San year can be sourced from the pro- our limited resources to specific
products/applications.

42 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

The Headquarter of Philippine Coconut Authority in Diliman, Quezon City, Manila

iThe industry deserves the full sup- However, PCA needs to undergo the graduate level. The PCA ex-
port of government by way of fis- reforms in four aspects: First, re- periment stations and research
cal/tax incentives, public research volving door political appoint- laboratories should be modernized
and product development support, ments of the PCA administrator and appropriately funded.
and export promotion. The least must cease. The appointment of a
we can do is patronize the coconut career administrator with a fixed In fact the better option is to res-
methylester (CME) additive to die- term of, say, three years but re- urrect the old Philcorin and ad-
sel not only as support to our do- newable upon meritorious per- minister it as a separate research
mestic oleochemical industry but formance will provide stability to entity like PhilRice and the Philip-
also as a way of reducing air pol- the agency. Second, need to pine Carabao Center which R:D
lution, further minimize our contri- strengthen business management units under the Department of Ag-
bution to global warming and im- and scientific expertise in the PCA riculture had been doing well.
prove the fuel efficiency of trans- Board by the appointment of a
port. proven industry executive nomi- And the fourth, is to resolve the
nated by the Management Asso- impasse and finally return PCA
PCA is the key ciation of the Philippines (MAP) under the supervision and con-
and of an eminent scientist/ trol of the DA. PCA cannot do it
The eight and last consideration is technologist endorsed by the Na- alone. The coconut industry will
the imperative to strengthen the tional Academy of Science and benefit greatly from the comple-
institutional capacity of the PCA. Technology (NAST) as additional mentary technical support of the
Turning around the coconut indus- independent directors. Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau
try is next to impossible without a of Soils and Water Management,
strong national agency providing The third reform has to do with the National Irrigation Administra-
central direction and proper coor- PCA’s research and development tion and the Agricultural Training
dination of government, farmers function which has deteriorated Institute (for extension) all of
and private sector initiatives. over the years after the old stand- which are in the DA.
alone scientific organization – the
In does not make sense to have two Philippine Coconut Research Insti- 1The Author is Member of the Na-
national agencies responsible for tute – was absorbed into PCA. The tional Academy of Science and Tech-
the coconut sector. Unless other- coconut industry must continu- nology (NAST) and also Chair of the
wise changed by Congress, that ously innovate to stay competitive Coalition for Agriculture Moderniza-
agency is The Philippine Coconut and survive. PCA needs to under- tion in the Philippines (CAMP). For
Authority (PCA). take a massive recruitment and a n y f e e d b a c k , e m a i l
training program of researchers at [email protected]

43 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

SAMBU GROUP’S EXPERIENCE ON BUILDING
SUSTAINABLE COCONUT ECOSYSTEM

Tay. Enoku1.

U nlike Genetically integrated to its surrounding and it was this value that
Modified Organism community. fertilized the foundation of
(GMO) crops, coco- Sambu Group, making it the
nuts’ cultivation at the Mr Tay Juhana’s (the founder) success that it is today.
plantations are natural and not tireless efforts to continuously
artificially modified. Every coco- innovate, led PT PULAU Operating Principles

nut has its own shape and size SAMBU to be the largest and There are several guiding princi-
and this variation makes human most integrated coconut products ples that dictate Sambu Group’s
operators the only means to proc- manufacturer in Indonesia. The actions and direction. They form
ess those coconuts. The labour- concept of union with the the philosophical basis of every
intensiveness of coconut process- community was Mr Tay’s core of the company’s many initia-
ing makes it natural for PT philosophy, which in turn, tives. They are:
PULAU SAMBU to be socially- became the company’s core belief 1. Every model that the com-
pany uses as the basis of its
activities must be sustainable
in execution.
2. In order for sustainability to
be made possible, equal em-
phasis must be given to its
three underlying aspects: en-
vironmental, social and eco-
nomic.
3. The company’s time orienta-
tion and design must conform
to the cycles of the involved
natural variables.
4. Socially, all value-adding
stakeholders must benefit by
participating in the economic
ecosystem (of coconut).
Mr. Tay Juana’ Guiding Priciple that becomes the Core Value of Sambu Group

A View of Sambu Group’s Processing Factory in Sungai Guntung, Riau Province, Indonesia 44
COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Although some of the principles in giving back to the communities With little or no regulatory trade
may appear to contradict each in which its various facilities op- restrictions on coconut itself, the
other, in practice, it is about erate in. This is evident when one company can only rely on market
achieving the “right” balance be- retrospectively see how those mechanism to ensure sustainable
tween two seemingly opposing communities were like back then, raw material supply. Without be-
polarities. From Sambu Group’s and compare to their present day ing sufficiently incentivized, the
perspective, sustainability de- conditions. farmers would switch to other
mands such balancing act. commodities or it would seek
The company’s focus has been other sources of earnings. This, in
Economically, it makes no sense that the economic resources ex- turn, would diminish their interest
ignore the externalities when pended by the company to pro- to continuously cultivate coconut
one’s time orientation is that of cure its raw material - the coco- trees.
permanence. “Hit-and-run” mod- nuts, reaches the farmers who
els that do not contribute to the diligently and painstakingly grow Similar phenomena can be said
sustainability of the ecosystem is them to earn their living. about the labourers at the planta-
in opposition to Sambu Group’s tions. Without sufficient eco-
core principles. To ensure that, the company dis- nomic incentive, the labourers
patches its own people to the sur- would seek other sources of earn-
In Practice vey the smallholder farmers’ ings. Recruiting back the labour-

“Experience without theory is plantations to identify the differ- ers usually takes time. Time that
blind, but theory without experi- ent problems and challenges that those who need to capitalize on
ence is merely intellectual play,” they experience continuously. market trends do not have.
said Immanuel Kant once. In con- The company then identifies what
text of Sambu Group, mere intel- it can do to help the farmers re- Additionally, without sufficient
lectual play definitely has not solve those problems, and it tries structural economic incentives,
been the force that has been al- to communicate those problems trans- generational interest in cul-
lowing Sambu Group to survive that are beyond its scope and ca- tivating the coconut trees may
since 1967. pabilities. also not be possible. With such
lack of interest comes the risk of
Longevity is not only a matter of The company procures most altering the utilization of the ex-
ability to adapt to environmental (around 80-90 percent) of its raw isting coconut plantations. Hence
changes and market trends. It is material from the smallholder the reduction of the company’s
also a matter of allowing one’s farmers. Consequently, the com- raw material supply source itself.
actions to be guided by the pany understands that without
“right” principles and models. mutually beneficial cooperative As a group, the industry needs the
framework, sustainability is not farmers to continuously supply
Due to the company’s emphasis possible.
on sustainability, it has no qualm

Social Amenities and Infrastructure developed by Sambu Group for the Communities Residing around the Company
45 COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018

Coconut Products Produced by Sambu Group on Display

them with raw material. And the ecosystem itself from which each wars” within an ecosystem would
farmers need the industry collec- stakeholder derives their respec- weaken the sustainability of the
tive to be able to add as much tive benefits. ecosystem itself. At worst, it
value to their plantation output as would lead to the ecosystem’s
possible. Structurally, the farmers The various natural variables’ demise.
-industry dichotomy exists. How- cycles should dictate the collec-
ever, in practice, the two parties tive shareholders’ operational Once the necessary systemic per-
form an inseparable partnership, rhythm. Otherwise, the risk spective has been achieved, each
if both of their existence were to would be great that unaddressed value adding stakeholder should
be sustainable against the test of externalities - economic or other- then do its best to contribute to
time. wise - would be produced for fu- the sustainability of the ecosys-
ture generations to bear. tem itself. This is the belief that
Proposition Sambu Group has believed in
In a market environment, each throughout its decades of exis-
All value-adding stakeholders ecosystem both influences and tence. Without it, it would have
within an ecosystem need to as- competes with other similar eco- not been possible to maintain its
sume the necessary systemic per- systems. Therefore, it should be existence, nor would it be possi-
spective that unites the collective in the interest of every stake- ble for the company to continue
objective. Only by doing so that holder within each ecosystem to its existence.
each stakeholder’s respective in- maximize their contribution to the 1The Author is Vice President of
terest and behaviour will contrib- ecosystem that they “belong” to. Sambu Group.
ute to the sustainability of the Continued frictions and “civil

COCOINFO INTERNATIONAL, VOL. 25, No. 2, 2018 46