Coconut Day: International celebration of the 'prince of palms'

Coconut Day: International celebration of the 'prince of palms'

By Muhartoyo

JAKARTA (JP): In beauty and utility no other tree can surpass
the coconut tree. It is the most extensively grown and used nut
in the world and it is the most important palm. Its uses are many
and varied. It provides the basic needs of millions of people,
such as food, drink, shelter, fuel, furniture, decorative
materials and much more. The coconut tree is often described as
"the tree of life", "the heavenly tree", "the tree of abundance",
"nature's supermarket" and "the prince of palms".

The coconut tree is grown in about ninety countries along the
humid tropical belt. According to the (Asia & Pacific Coconut
Community Statistical Yearbook 1997) Indonesia has the largest
coconut growing area in the world, amounting to 3.76 million
hectares with the total production of 2,583,000 metric tons of
copra, which is equivalent to the total export value of
US$487,883,000 per year.

Prior to 1990 coconut was the main source of cooking oil in
the country. The increased demand for cooking oil encouraged the
use of other raw materials, such as palm oil which has become the
main source of cooking oil. In 1997 the demand for cooking oil
was 2.61 million tons, while in the year 2000 it is expected to
increase to 3.1 million tons. This increase must be prepared for
by improving both oil and coconut palm production and
productivity.

Unlike oil palm, coconut palm is not only a source of cooking
oil. Not a single part of the coconut palm is thrown away.
Coconut trees along the coasts of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi,
and other islands, have lured overseas tourists to visit the
country and bring badly needed dollars to Indonesia. Inspired by
the beauty of coconut trees Ismail Marzuki, a famous Indonesian
composer, wrote the song Rayuan Pulau Kelapa (The Appeal of
Coconut Islands) which is a familiar song to Indonesian ears.

Although Indonesia has the largest coconut area, in terms of
production it is ranked second to the Philippines. This level of
production can be further enhanced by a number of strategic
measures.

First, the implementation of a replanting program. A large
number of coconut stands in Indonesia are old and weak. The
productivity of old coconut trees are usually low. However, the
replanting program must be designed in such a way that it will
not adversely effect the income of the coconut farmers. It takes
several years for coconut trees to yield nuts. If the replanting
program is not well designed, it will substantially reduce the
coconut farmer's income and they will eventually discard the
program. The government could also impose regulations stipulating
that every coconut tree felled must be replaced by a new one.
This kind of regulation is important to preserve the number of
coconut trees and the level of production. This has been
successfully implemented by the government of the Philippines.

Second, the provision of high yielding coconut varieties. The
replanting program will not improve the productivity if the high
yielding coconut varieties are not used. Coconut is a small
holders crop as 98 percent of coconut plantations belong to small
holders. Improved production and productivity will consequently
increase these small holders incomes.

Third, integrated pest control management. It has been
reported that a number of diseases have attacked Indonesian
coconut palms, such as Natuna Wilt, Kalimantan Wilt, and a leaf
yellowing. These diseases have substantially affected the
coconut production and have made coconut farmers suffer great
losses (about 40 percent of the total revenue). This unfortunate
condition often forces coconut farmers to abandon the crops and
replace them with others, such as banana and coffee. An effective
and well organized pest control management is badly needed to
combat these diseases.

Besides these efforts, a continual campaign to improve
awareness of the importance of this crop is also needed. Coconut
is an economically important crop. It is the second most
important social commodity after rice. At least three million
small holder families and hundreds of thousands of workers are
dependent on this crop.

Realizing the importance of the coconut tree crop, at the 35th
session of its plenipotentiary delegates held in Vietnam last
year, the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) declared
Sept. 2 as Coconut Day. It is to be celebrated every year by all
member countries.

APCC is the leading intergovernmental organization of 13 major
coconut producing countries, accounting for over 90 percent of
world's coconut production and exports of coconut products. The
full member countries include: Federated States of Micronesia,
Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines,
Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

As one of APCC member countries, Indonesia can also make use
of the Coconut Day celebrations to increase awareness of the
importance of the coconut tree and to help focus national and
international attention on this crop. In addition, the Coconut
Day celebrations will focus on the potential of the coconut tree
in alleviating poverty, it will aim to encourage investment in
the sector and will promote development of the coconut industry.
The celebration will be coordinated by the Ministry of Industry
and Trade and will involve relevant institutions such as Ministry
of Forestry and Estate Crops and Ministry of Cooperatives and
Small-scale Entrepreneur Development.

A number of events have been lined up for the celebration.
These include, a bazaar and exhibition on Sept. 2 at the lobby of
the Ministry of Forestry building in Jakarta; a workshop on the
coconut industry and a mini display on Sept. 7 at the Ministry of
Trade and Industry office in Yogyakarta; a technology exhibition
of research and development and a consultation forum on Sept. 16-
18 at the Ministry of Trade and Industry office in Surabaya.

It is highly expected that the Coconut Day celebrations will
encourage all parties involved to strengthen the role of the
coconut industry and to improve the coconut farmer's welfare.
Coconut Day is definitely worth celebrating.

The writer is a documentalist of the Asia & Pacific Coconut
Community.