The Hindu Business Line : Initiative to promote coconut

Asia Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) has produced a digital versatile disc (DVD) to highlight the importance of coconut products, including oil, in an effort to promote diversification of coconut.

"The drive behind producing the DVD is to encourage product diversification from the coconut itself," Mr Rethinam says.

With demand for products, such as coconut milk, registering a 45 per cent annual growth, APCC sees the need for more diversification. "There is eight per cent growth in dessicated coconut demand, while virgin coconut oil is commanding a premium of $3,000 a tonne," he says.

Virigin coconut oil is a pure one, extracted from fresh coconut milk. In some countries it is actually a food source. The oil is high in vitamin and it is nourishing, light oil. Virgin coconut oil is likely to be found in lip balms and lotion sticks.

On the other hand, organic coconut oil commands a price of $6,000 a tonne and countries such as the US, Canada and the European Union import this.

"Our DVD is aimed at the medical fraternity. We are telling them per se coconut oil is good for health and it is heart-friendly," Mr Rethinam says.

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