Coconuts

The Coconut Industry Board in a 1996 release claimed that .. "The coconut industry continues to recover from the devastating loss of 54 percent of bearing trees suffered during Hurricane Gilbert, which had caused production to fall from 167.7 million nuts in 1988 to 74.5 million in 1990."
"There has been a steady re-planting programme since the hurricane and this year should see approximately 100,000 seedlings being planted."
"A Malayan Dwarf, with average maintenance, should start flowering in 3.5 years and the palm reaches full production usually after seven years."
The projected output for 1997 was over 140 million nuts so that a doubling of output would have occurred in that six year period.

Discussions are in progress (1996) to re-open a commercial copra factory in St Mary, all factories having ceased operation due to the shortage of coconuts. At present coconuts are being transferred to east Portland and St Thomas.

(This needs a follow-up and an assessment of production given the hurricanes that have affected Jamaica since then.)

There are two main varieties of coconuts in Jamaica. The Maypan and the Malayan Dwarf. Two other varieties are the Jamaica Tall and the Panama Tall. The Jamaica Tall are to be found around Alligator Pond in Manchester while the Panama Tall is found in Georgia, St Mary.
The Maypan are usually tall and disease resistant with nuts somewhat larger than the other varieties. It contains more water and the skin is generally green in colour. It is a hybrid between the Malayan Dwarf and the Panama Tall and has a sturdier tree than the Malayan Dwarf. Jamaica first started using it for commercial production in 1974.
The Malayan Dwarf has the advantage that being short it is easier to reap the nuts. The skin is usually yellow, red or green and the water is supposed to taste sweeter than the others.

Reference

Consumer Watch, The Gleaner, C6, Saturday May 18, 1996.
Farmers Weekly, The Gleaner, A15, Saturday Dec 21, 1996.

Return to links to the chemistry of other Jamaican items, including spices and fruit and vegetables.

Created and maintained by Prof. Robert J. Lancashire,
The Department of Chemistry, University of the West Indies,
Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica.

Created 26th Oct 1995. Links checked and/or last modified 26th November, 2013.
URL http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm/lectures/coconut.html