Coconut crisis

If you have been struggling to find coconut milk at affordable prices in the shops then you’re not alone. At the moment there is a coconut crisis with production of the fruit suffering from a range of environmental and economic problems

Asian countries, such as the Philippines, India and Indonesia have all seen decreases in the amount of coconuts produced due to climate change, prolonged droughts and more intense and more frequent storms that have stymied the plants ability to produce good quality coconuts. Added to this coconut production has been hit by new pests and diseases – the most dangerous being the yellowing of the coconut palm that, if not eradicated, has the potential to wipe out entire plantations.

All this comes at a time when there is a vastly increasing global demand as consumers try to move away from diary milks towards what are perceived to be more natural and sustainable alternatives. The coconut industry is also one that produces a great deal of waste product as the husks of the fruit are usually discarded.

New technologies are, however, emerging to reuse this material with many companies entering the market to extract coconut oil from the waste.