The end of the era of coconut water? Why the most fashionable drink in the world can disappear from the shelves?

For fashionable and rich people, including celebrities such as Rihanna, Madonna or Matthew McConaughey, the rarest coconut water extracted from aromatic varieties of nuts is the main drink and even a source of income.

Coconut water is sold by luxury brands, and its cost reaches $ 7 for 330 ml. Approximately the same price has champagne.

Rapidly developing market

There is no doubt that the coconut market is developing. The annual turnover of production of coconut water is currently $ 2 billion. It is expected that it will reach $ 4 billion over the next five years.

In 2007, 25% of Vitacoco, the largest coconut milk brand, were sold for $ 7 million to Verlinvest. Seven years later, another 25% of Vitacoco's shares were re-sold, this time to the Chinese company Red Bull, at a price of about $ 166 million.

Other major players in the coconut water business include Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Currently, more than 200 brands sell this drink.

Significant harvest

But there is another side to this story. Coconut is one of the 35 food crops listed in Annex 1 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Coconuts are considered extremely important for global food security. In 2014, according to the estimates of the Food and Agriculture Organization, world coconut production totaled 61.5 million tons.

This is a very important livelihood for more than 11 million farmers, most of which are small producers. They grow coconut palms on 12 million hectares of land in at least 94 countries. Coconut tree is widely known as the "tree of life", since all its parts are useful.

Production

The main products are copra (dried internal nut pulp, which is used for the production of butter) and husk, which is a vital source of fiber. Quite recently, as we have seen, there was also a high demand for gentle coconut water and coconut oil.

Whole mature nuts are exported and sold to factories that produce coconut shavings and oil. At least half of all coconuts grown are consumed by the local population.

Genetic diversity

For millennia, people slowly choose and grow numerous varieties of coconut, using it for many purposes.

This led to an extreme morphological diversity, which is expressed in a wide range of colors, shapes and sizes of fruits. But the degree of this diversity is largely unknown at the global level. The huge amount of work that has been done to grow coconuts by farmers for millennia and scientists during the 20th century, largely remains undervalued.

Rare coconut varieties, such as horned coconut, are grown and conserved in India. But by the majority of people they are not even considered coconuts, especially in the West.

Diversity under threat

Many varieties of coconuts that may be crucial for the future of agriculture are disappearing due to the loss of traditional knowledge, the rapid transformation of agricultural landscapes, climate change and Westernization.

Because of the fragility of island ecosystems, the Pacific region is probably the place where losses are the highest.

In a recent survey on the Cook Islands, it was very difficult for scientists to determine the location of the coconut species known to the local population as niu mangaro. It is a rare type of coconut that is endangered.

The husk of its immature fruit, which in other species, as a rule, is stiff and astringent, is tender, edible and sweet. It can be chewed like sugar cane. Once the fruits are ripe, the husk fibers become white and thin.

The research of scientists was carried out jointly with the state agricultural officer. During work, he took a delicate coconut and began to chew the husks. Then he stopped and said, "I do not want local people to see me eating niu mangar, because they will consider me poor."

The consumption of traditional fruits is still perceived as social stigmatization, since this does not cover the "modern" way of life. On the other hand, the consumption of imported food is seen as a sign of modernity and wealth.

This means that the traditional diversity is still appreciated by the older generation, but young people do not know about the rarity and cultural value of these resources.

International "coconut" meetings

Socio-economic factors affecting the conservation of coconuts have been the subject of discussion at two international meetings organized in 2016 by the Asian and Pacific coconut community in Indonesia and the Central Research Institute in India.

Discussions included the limitations and benefits associated with the biological characteristics of coconuts; Preservation of species in institutional gene banks; Knowledge of farmers about reproductive biology of crops; Socio-economic dynamics and policy measures.

Big business and lack of money for research

The International Network of Genetic Coconut Resources (COGENT) currently includes 41 countries that produce coconuts, accounting for more than 98% of global production. Its activities are aimed at preserving and breeding varieties.

Coconut germplasm is represented by approximately 400 varieties and 1600 varieties in 24 genebanks. Sortoobraztsy are the main units of genebank.

In the case of a coconut palm, each variety consists of 45-150 palms. They are registered in the database of coconut genetic resources and the global catalog.

COGENT is also working on the sequencing of the coconut genome within the framework of cooperation between research organizations in Côte d'Ivoire, France and China.

Despite the rise in the global market, many coconut farmers remain poorly organized, and investment in research is negligible.

The annual amount of investment in research, which would be enough to solve most of the problems of growing coconuts, will be about 3-5 million dollars. But private companies that benefit from the boom in the market are still largely uninvolved in financing research.

Features of growing coconuts

Coconut is a perennial culture that produces fruits all year round, but it takes a long time to grow the palm itself. Investors interested in faster profits are still reluctant to finance ten-year research programs, which are often necessary to effectively solve the problems associated with the cultivation of coconuts.

In countries that grow coconuts, the resources of genebanks are limited, and laboratories do not have the necessary budget, labor, equipment and technical training for controlled manual pollination, as well as other activities such as collection, description and selection of samples.

Brands that produce coconut water can earn billions only as long as coconuts are numerous and diverse. More importantly, people around the world rely on the safety of this vital product. Securing the safety of one's future should be a priority for everyone who grows coconuts, consumes them, and profits from them.