The global coconut industry is a very large one and provides infinite potential

for further expansion and diversification as coconuts can be processed in numerous ways.
Coconuts are produced in 92 countries worldwide on about 11.8 million hectares (29.5ac)of land. World production has been estimated at 61.7 million tons (FAO, 2009) with an average yield of 5.2 tons per ha.
According to the FAO, production is often estimated using reported copra production, area planted or administrative estimates, since by the very nature of coconut production, it is virtually impossible to do an accurate count of the number of coconuts. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the production data underestimates actual production. Also, there is usually a gap between production and harvesting, influenced by the price. If this price is too low, the farmer has little incentive to harvest.
World production has been relatively stable over the period 2008 – 2009, having increased by only 0.4% from 61.4 million tons in 2008 (FAO Statistics, 2008). Production continued to be concentrated in Indonesia,The Philippines and India.As regards the Asian and Pacific countries, 17 of them produce 90% of the world’s coconuts.
According to the FAO, 47 of the 77 ACP (African, Caribbean & Pacific) member countries produced 4.59 million tons of coconuts in 2009 on 1.7 million hectares. This represented 7.4% of world production. In 2008, 4.75 million tons were produced on 1.6 million hectares (7.7% of world production).  The only ACP country in the top 10 producers was Papua New Guinea. Average production in this group is 2.6 tons per hectare,which was way below the world average of 5.2 tons per hectare. Output from the Caribbean Region declined over the period from 504,877 tons in 2008 to 410,395 tons in 2009. This was  a result of  storm damage as well as the wave of lethal yellowing and Red Palm mite infestation.
World coconut oil production has been increasing over the past decade. It is now estimated at 3.5 million tons per annum. This accounts for 2.5% of world vegetable oil production. Over 70% of global coconut oil production comes from The Philippines and Indonesia (Table 2 refers). The only ACP countries in the top 10 coconut oil producers were Papua New Guinea and     Côte d’ Ivoire. Some of the former large oil- producing countries have significantly reduced production because of the higher price being obtained for the fresh nuts (Vietnam). Some are actually importing fresh nuts to satisfy their demand (Thailand, Sri Lanka) while it has become uneconomical for others to produce (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico). Others still,such as Malaysia and Thailand have moved towards producing coconut milk and other food products.
The three most important forms of consumption for coconuts are fresh (including drinking), coconut oil and desiccated coconut.
Global consumption of fresh nuts is growing at a remarkable pace for coconut water and milk (some 30% of coconut consumption). Coconut water is growing in popularity worldwide as a healthy beverage and the milk is used in a number of food products. The issues of preservation and packaging to extend the shelf life of both coconut water and milk have been addressed with the use of aseptic packaging using Tetra Pak paper. (FAO)
Against this backdrop it is wonderful news from Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy that fresh impetus would be given our coconut industry as we have the potential to develop one of the largest coconut industries in the world.
According to the minister, we are producing about 100 million coconuts annually and are exporting some U$3M in coconut products every year. With only  a fraction of our potential in coconut production realized, our coconut industry could become another “gold mine” for our national economy, especially in view of the fact that coconuts are increasingly becoming a health food.
One of the areas where we have tremendous potential is bottled coconut water which will   reap not only economic and commercial benefits, but will help to promote health consciousness, as our people are consuming too much artificially produced beverages which are unhealthy for the body.
During the tenure of the late Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh, a group of foreign-based Guyanese had signalled their intention of establishing a bottled coconut water enterprise, but unfortunately they backed off following the mayhem created by the political opposition.
At the moment there are some small producers of bottled coconut water in the Pomeroon. We need to encourage other entrepreneurs to get into this business and facilitate them possibly through special incentive packages.
The realisation of the Amaila Falls Hydro Project will certainly enhance the manufacturing and processing of coconut products through cheaper and a more reliable electricity supply.
Indeed, there are exciting opportunities awaiting our coconut industry and we should spare no effort to grab them. In this regard, government and the private sector should work hand in hand to make this potential “gold mine” a reality.