The coconut tree is a tropical species mostly planted and harvested by small-scale farmers in developing countries.
As a result of their excellent levels of resilience, coconuts can be grown in a broad range of soils; however, they do need a significant amount of rainfall.
Coconuts grow naturally in coastal regions and on the outskirts of deserts, which may be found in their native environment.
Coconut production is focused in the island and coastal locations, such as Fiji and Samoa, and humid tropics, such as India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia, where coconuts are grown in huge volumes.
Coconut is a highly important plant, and it is used to make a wide variety of items, including cosmetics. Coconut products are utilized in various items ranging from textiles to animal feed to skincare treatments.
When harvested, the kernel is prized for its edible meat and delectable water, while the husk is prized for its strong fibers and durability. But its oils, extracted, processed, and sold for use in culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic applications, are the most valuable part of the plant.
Typically, the meat is dried down to 6 percent moisture content before being used to manufacture copra. Afterward, this product is sent to plants all over the globe, where it is refined into crude oil.
“Virgin” coconut oil is produced straight from raw coconut meat, making it a less common but more valuable product.
Table of Contents
The world’s top five coconut producers are listed below.

On the Indonesian island of Lombok, there is a coconut plantation.
Indonesia, with 17.13 million metric tons of production.
Indonesia is the worldwide leader in the production of coconuts. The province of North Sulawesi is responsible for the bulk of the country’s coconut production. Indonesia is also a major grower of pineapples, ranking among the world’s top producers. A large portion of the coconuts produced in Indonesia is sold outside.
The Philippines, with 14.77 million metric tons of exports.
Philippine coconuts are the world’s second-biggest producer behind the United States. It used to be the world’s biggest producer, but Indonesia has surpassed it in that category now.
Luzon, Southern Mindanao, and the Eastern Visayas are only a handful of the nation’s most important coconut-producing regions, with the rest being spread across the country. It is believed that coconut agriculture accounts for about one-quarter of all farmland in the Philippines.
India, with 14.68 million metric tons of exports.
India is the world’s third-biggest producer of coconuts, behind Brazil and Indonesia. In 2016, the nation was responsible for producing more than 119 million tonnes of goods and services.
Coconut cultivation is essential to the agricultural business in India and the country’s economy as a whole and is particularly prevalent in rural regions.
There are a lot of Indian street stalls selling coconuts in a bulk market in the city of Mysore.
Sri Lanka, with a metric tonne of 2.47 million.
Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, is the world’s fourth-biggest producer of coconuts. Sri Lanka is second only to Brazil in yearly production, at 2,513,000 tonnes. The warm and sunny atmosphere of the nation is suitable for coconut cultivation.
Brazil, with 2.33 million metric tons of exports
Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest producer of coconuts, behind India, Indonesia, and Thailand. According to official figures, Brazil produced more than 2 million tonnes of coconut in 2016.
Even though Brazil’s coconut output is not as large as that of the Asian nations on this list, the country’s coconut production is increasing as the demand for coconut products rises.
Coconut production is significant in the government’s economy, as it is in the economies of the other countries on this list.
Coconuts Will Have A Long and Prosperous Future
Today, the world’s largest coconut producers are trying to keep up with the rising needs of the global economy. Coconut has been a viable cash crop for decades, and despite tough competition from other vegetable oils, it seems like it will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.
But the world’s leading coconut growers must take note of the present scenario and make efforts to guarantee that their fields are long-lasting and capable of meeting future demand.
Coconuts are transported from the fields to the facilities for processing.
‘Fair Trade’ measures in the business attempt to guarantee that the advantages of the flourishing sector flow down to small farmers, but they have the unintended effect of slowing the pace at which output rates are increasing.
Because of a lack of investment in maintaining the productivity of coconut-growing land, primarily due to the exorbitant expenses connected with doing so, some farms are yielding 75 percent less fruit than they were 30 years earlier.
Many coconut trees now producing coconuts are over 50 years old, which means they are 20 years beyond their optimum production years, which does not assist the situation of inadequate supply to satisfy the rising demand.
In Asia, many coconut farms are seeing slight growth, and others are even discontinuing production, according to the APCC (the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community). This is because its farmers are shifting their attention to oil palm development.
The Top10 Countries With The Highest Coconut Production
Rank | Country | Production in million metric tons |
---|---|---|
1 | Indonesia | 17.13 |
2 | Philippines | 14.77 |
3 | India | 14.68 |
4 | Sri Lanka | 2.47 |
5 | Brazil | 2.33 |
6 | Vietnam | 1.68 |
7 | Mexico | 1.29 |
8 | Papua New Guinea | 1.19 |
9 | Thailand | 0.81 |
10 | Malaysia | 0.54 |