Description

The Pacific Island people have long been associated with coconuts (Cocos nucifera L.) as a food item and often termed and known as the “ tree of life” because of its wholesome usefulness. The fact remains that the Pacific Island (PI) coconut growing nations are small in land mass, isolated and scattered in the vast ocean where transportation and infrastructure are costly to maintain. Currently, a total of 589,000 hectares of land is utilised for coconuts in the PI with PNG, being the major producer comprising 37% of the total Pacific Island growing area. Coconut farming are mainly village based and processing techniques are mostly traditional which has been passed down through years of generation with very basic knowledge, practices and equipment. Coconut is also important for environmental reasons. Where this crop is abundant as in many coastal areas of the higher islands and atolls of the region, it provides good soil protection against the erosion effect of high tides and a remarkable degree of resilience in relation to tropical cyclones. After the 1960s the price of coconut started declining together with other vegetable oils with its image as a food commodity severely deteriorated, as significant competition with other oil commodities such as soy oil appeared. As a result, active management of plantations was neglected or abandoned and investment in coconut rejuvenation was mostly brought to a halt. In most PICs coconut production is today predominantly a small holder activity and coconut stands are, in a large proportion, senile with production generally in decline. In Fiji alone, out of the existing 6.8 million bearing palms, 70% are senile. It is estimated that roughly 65% and 50% of existing palms are senile in Kiribati and PNG respectively. Thus, there is a strong need for replanting with adapted and efficient varieties to ensure sustainability of the source/raw material for the industry.