Coconut:

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Coconut The Tree of Life

• Mai Kao Yang

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History (in theory)

• Theory
• 80 million years ago
• Southern Hemisphere, Gondwana

3
History

• 4th-century B.C., Sanskrits writing
• 1st century to 4th century A.D, Tamil literature
  
• India
• 2-3 thousands years ago, making it the oldest
  traditional crop grown
• Marco Polo
• Expedition to India, recognize it as the
  Pharaoh's nut

4
Global Economy

• 1996
• Indonesia 3,745 hectares 6. Malaysia 208
• Philippines 3,093 7. Papua New Guinea 260
• India 1, 796
• Sri Lanka 419
• Thailand 377

5
India

• Kerala state is the lead of production in India
• Located at the south tip, bordering water and
  closest to equator

6
Coconut Management

• Highly sensitive to soil moisture
• Rainfall total of 1800 mm evenly throughout the
  year
• As little as 1000 mm will prove to be optimum
• Takes up to a year for coconuts to mature
• Bloom up to thirteen times a year
• Continuous harvest year-round
• Average harvest of 60 coconuts/ tree
• Some trees yielding at three times that amount

7
Technology

• A number of devices have been developed to assist
  in the
• processes of harvesting and dehusk coconut
  operation
• Devices are electrical and/or solar generated

8
Modern Method
Traditional Method
Oil Milling
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Consumption

• Coconut crab aka robber crab
• Type of hermit crab
• 1 meter in length
• 3 kilogram in weight
• Can actually drown
• Cattle
• By-product (oil cake) of coconut after extraction
  for oil fuel

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• Most well- known
• Coconut oil
• Recently start appearing and
• is on high demand
• Nata-de-coco meat of mature coconut
• Desiccated coconut dried and
• shredded coconut flakes
• Spray dried coconut cream powder
• Skim milk

11
Health Concern?!?!

• 1930, misconception that coconut and coconut oil
  are health hazard
• Thought to cause heart disease
• Is pretty fatty, little over 50 of coconut
  contain medium chain fatty acid, Lauric acid
• Once in the human body it changes to monlaurins ,
  which is found in mothers breast milk
• Coconut is the next best option to breast milk

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Powerful against - Antibacterial -
Antiviral - Antifungal agents - HIV are
sensitive to coconut oilExcellent moisturizer
for dry skinCoconut oil is absorbed quickly and
give energy like carbohydrate

• Addition Health Benefits

13
Sociocultural

• Epic, classic Hindu stories Ramayana
• Coconut hold a high place in the Indian culture,
  no ritual or ceremony is performed without it
• Used in both social and religious ceremonies
  worshipping, marriages, festivals, decorations,
  etc.
• Small farmers are the backbone to the coconut
  culture
• Coconut provide sole income but, the price of
  coconut is determined by coconut oil which is
  influence by supplies and demand

14
Case Study Coir Women Workers

• Vaikom Taluk

• Kadakkarappally Panchaysat

• Small village factory
• 13 are without electricity
• Employ regular 8-10 women each day
• Normal shift 8 to 6 p.m.
• High demand two shift period
• 600 a.m. to 200 p.m.
• 200 p.m. to 1000 p.m.
• Lunch hours 1.5 hours
• Dont interact with the middleman

• Home-based cottage industry
• 50 are without electricity
• Majority of the women in the village work in the
  factory
• Work every day, except Sunday,
• Shift from 8 to 530 p.m.
• Work outside in all types of weather
• Interact with the middleman

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Result

• Doesnt matter if working in a small village
  factory or a home-based
• cottage industry
• Both wages and conditions remains the same for
  women coir workers
• in Kerala
• Stakeholder lack of technology is hurting,
  however, the women fear
• that with it, they will be put out of work

16
Sustainability

• Mix-cropping system
• Australia coconut, cocoa, coffee along with
  cattle grazing
• Ceylon/ Sri Lanka coconut, tea, and rubber
• Coir products husk from the coconut are
  bio-degradability
• India
• Biomass fuel supply average size family, 30-40
  palm tree
• Coconut oil fuel
• By- products oil cake is fed to cattle
• The day of coconut as mainly or solely a
  monoculture appears to be almost over.

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The end
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