COCONUT BASED PRODUCTS

Published On - May 10, 2018

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The coconut tree is found in every nook and corner in Sri Lanka has a long history that is intertwined with the Sri Lankan lifestyle. From our everyday food to delicacies, farm equipment to household items, roofing material, and furniture, the coconut tree has been a useful source of material throughout the centuries.

Hence, it has never been a wonder that Sri Lanka is the fourth-largest exporter of coconut products in the world. The country has been a leading producer of desiccated coconut since the 19th Century and still enjoys a significant share in the world coconut market mainly through the supply of Desiccated Coconut (DC), considered to be the best in the world due to its lighter color and sweet and odorless quality.

In addition, the country is the leading supplier of coconut fiber-based products to the global market and is among the top three producers of activated carbon in the global market.
According to the Coconut Development Authority (CDA), coconut cultivation in Sri Lanka is a little over one million hectares and Sri Lankans consume nearly 1,750- 2,000 million fresh nuts per year; the remaining harvest is used to produce a range of products from various parts of the coconut.

Coconut Fibre-Based Products  

Sri Lanka is among the main coir manufacturers in the world with Sri Lankan coir and coir-based product manufacturers catering to nearly 40% of the global demand. The country is also the largest supplier of brown fiber to the world with annual exportation of 100,000 mt.

Coir fiber products could be categorized based on the raw material used or whether they are recovered from ripe or immature coconut husks.  The husks of fully ripened coconuts yield brown coir. Brown coir fiber which is strong and highly resistant to abrasion is used primarily in brushes, floor mats, and upholstery padding.  On the other hand, white coir comes from the husks of coconuts harvested shortly before they ripen. Light brown or white in colour, this fibre is softer and less strong than brown coir. It is usually spun into yarn, which is then woven into mats or twisted into twine or rope.

Fuelled by centuries of traditional knowledge, Sri Lanka’s coir manufacturers specialize in producing various types of natural coco fiber brushes and brooms with long bristle fiber produced through the Ceylon Drum Pair System, which gives them an edge over the other fiber manufacturers in the region.

Coco Peat Based Products

Also known as coco pith, coco peat is a 100% organic, natural, and biodegradable substance that was the by-product of the coconut fiber extraction process.

The possible use of coco peat in horticulture, animal husbandry, and other industries was discovered in the early 1990s creating a global market for a by-product of the coconut fiber industry in Sri Lanka.

Today Sri Lanka exports a range of coco peat products including; grow bags, planter bags, grow cubes, compressed blocks, discs, and loose coco peat that is used in agriculture, industries, and farms.