The coconut water industry will soon be under strain if Barbadians continue to harvest young coconuts, says Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute’s (CARDI) Representative to Barbados Ansari Hosein.
He said research had shown that the demand for coconut water far exceeded the supply and vendors, in trying to maximise on profits, were in some cases harvesting too many young coconuts and at a concerning rate.
“There are reports of the coconuts being harvested even before the recommended age of the nuts. A major consequence of this imbalance is that hardly any nuts are left on the tree to get to the mature dry stage that can be used for planting, leading to a shortage of planting material,” Hosein told the DAILY NATION.
“In 2019, data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation stated that around 2 400 tonnes of coconuts were produced in Barbados and from just over 1 300 acres. A conservative estimate of the amount of coconut water sold on the roadside is at least 37 000 litres every week. There are also a few large producers who bottle and sell at various outlets. So a lot of coconut water is being supplied to the marketplace.” (SB)
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