With the improvement of people's living standards and the development of the market, the development of China's coconut industry has entered a period of tremendous opportunities, but it also faces many challenges.
Currently, the coconut plantation area in China is about 40,000 hectares, of which more than 90% are distributed in Hainan Province. Hainan Province is the only area in China that can produce coconuts on a large scale, with an output of about 210 million coconuts, which is far from meeting market demand. China still needs to import large quantities of coconut products from Southeast Asian countries every year.
At the same time, with China's economic and social development, people's demand for coconut products is still increasing. At present, the market share of coconut juice beverages is second only to soy beverages, and it is the second largest plant protein beverage consumer category in China. The efficacy of coconut oil has also attracted increasing attention from consumers. The coconut oil processing industry has become an important area of the coconut industry. However, there are fewer companies producing coconut oil on a large scale in China, and fewer companies producing coconut oil from fresh coconut meat. At present, China's domestically produced coconut oil cannot meet market demand, and it needs to be imported to meet market demand. In 2016, China imported 133,000 tons of coconut oil. As people's awareness of nutrition and health continues to increase, the coconut oil market is promising.
In view of the current status and problems, experts from scientific research institutions and heads of well-known enterprises have also proposed some long-term solutions. The new coconut variety of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences Coconut Research Institute has the advantages of dwarfing plants, early production, high yield, good commercial performance, and high market value. It is currently a new variety popular among farmers and companies in Hainan Province. Relevant departments are vigorously promoting this series of varieties to return Hainan's traditional coconut varieties to processing plants to make up for the shortage of raw materials.
At the same time, the institute has jointly formulated coconut oil standards with universities and enterprises to regulate the domestic coconut oil industry. With the joint efforts of scientific research institutions, universities, and key enterprises, it will carry out alliance technology innovation and product innovation, formulate alliance development plans and carry out market forecasts, enhance the overall competitiveness of the coconut industry, and promote the sustainable development of the coconut industry.
Coconut products also occupy a certain position in the world of fruit drinks. According to a market report, the total consumption of tropical fruit drinks in the United States and Europe increased by 18% from 2011 to 2015. Among them, the market share of coconut beverages is as high as 23%, second only to 24% of banana beverages. The report also pointed out that in 2015 the coconut-flavored bottled water in the United States and Europe also achieved a 533% growth (compared to 2011), much higher than other flavored products such as guava and mango.