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MUMBAI, Sept. 23

WORLD coconut oil output is likely to witness a flat growth of less than one per cent every year in this decade, primarily because coconut production is impacted by the problem of low yield per hectare, a paper presented at the Globe Oil Conference said.

``Although coconut development projects with an aim to increase production and productivity are underway in coconut producing countries, the achievement is only minimal in the future,'' Dr P. Rethinam, Executive Director, Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC), and Mr L. Taufikkurahman, Market Development Officer, APCC, said in their paper `Global scenario of coconut oil and road map for future trade facilities'.

According to APCC, coconut oil supply stability has been a major concern among the market operators. In a 1994 study by APCC, the optimum level of coconut oil exports should be in the range of 1.2-1.4 million tonnes going up to 1.5-2 mt.

``It is our hope that coconut oil producers and exporters maintain this optimum level of supply. The increasing supply of coconut oil should be diverted to other uses such as domestic food, virgin coconut oil, bio-diesel, engine oil,'' the paper said.

A suggestion from APCC states that there should be efforts to increase the economic viability of the industry and not confine coconut only to the production of coconut oil.

This can be done in two ways — in the field of production and in the field of processing.

Production and productivity should be increased by adopting package of agricultural practice, rejuvenation of old and senile trees and regular replanting program with selected talls and dwarfs. ``It is also possible to go for coconut-based integrated farming system such as mixed cropping, multi-storeyed cropping, mixed farming and high density multi-species,'' the paper said adding that this offers economic advantage to the farmers.

In the field of processing, the industry should encourage farm level processing.

Coconut is grown in more than 93 countries with an area of 12.8 million hectares and production of 10.9 mt.

Coconut oil's share in the overall production of vegetable oils at 3.5 mt is 4.03 per cent and in exports at 2.2 mt contributed 3.26 per cent to the overall vegetable oil exports.

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