Copra Quality

Some Practical Aspects

THE following is a review of an article published in the Malayan Agricul tural Journal (Vol. XXV. No. 12, 1937) and written by Mr. F. C. Cooke, of the Straits Settlements Department of Ag riculture;— THERE is no real reason why bad copra should be produced anywhere in the world for, apart from very slight dif ferences in oil content in the nuts of different countries, the quality of the meat is the same in all ripe coconuts J™ 1 ? 1 healthy palms all over the world Differences in quality are due only to differences in care in the preparation of the copra and its subsequent handling and it calls for no great amount of care’ no high technical knowledge and no great expense, to prepare very good copra.

For years the Departments of Agri culture of all copra-producing countries have been trying to educate local produc ers to prepare good copra, and to induce local traders to encourage its production Yet even to-day the general standard of quality of the world’s copra is appalling ly low, in comparison with the standards oi every other primary agricultural pro duce that enters into world trade.

Undoubtedly, one factor that contrib utes to this is the fact that as copra de teriorates, while its oil becomes more acid, while moulds destroy its substance, it unfortunately happens that simultan eously the oil content of the remainder rises. Thus, though deterioration involves loss of weight and loss of quality in the oil and in the cake, yet no decrease even a slight increase—occurs in the

first figure the buyers look at—the oil content of the sample.

This fact, however, does not entirely explain the present unsatisfactory condi tion of the world’s copra, for despite it, the miller of copra is prepared to pay more for good copra than for bad. The higher value of the good oil and cake that he can make from good copra out weighs the greater proportion of oil that he can get from bad copra.

The reason why the amount of deter ioration that occurs in copra is so great as compared with that in other compar able products, such, for instance, as palm oil palm kernels, or cocoa, seems to lie in the system by which it is handled on the world’s markets.

If one ships palm kernels, palm oil or cocoa from West Africa to Liverpool, New York Hamburg or London, one sells on definite well-known clauses which specify the grades of quality with considerable accuracy and which are substantially the same in all these markets. In the case of the two former products, not only can one thus sell on a clause closely defining the quality of the produce, but the con tract also provides for the payment of premia, or deductions of allowance, ac cording to the variation of the parcel from the standard quality specified in the clause. In the case of cocoa, the system of futures, spot markets, and defined grades provides more elaborate machin ery serving the same purpose of combin ing the advantages of forward sale or purchase with a final adjustment of price with very great exactitude according to the exact quality.

For copra we have simply the two grades of f.m.s. and fair merchantable, and the forward sale of these grades as such. Compared to the grade definitions in other products the meaning of these copra terms is extremely vague. Thev really amount to little more than “Fair Average Quality for the country concern ed” and a quality distinctly lower than F.A.Q. but still recognisable as copra.

This vagueness of definition of grades and the inability to buy or sell a stand ard grade forward with subsequent ac curate adjustment of the spot price ac cording to the quality delivered militate to discourage the buyer in the country of origin from paying more for superior quality. Until he does so, efforts to in duce "the producer to prepare a better quality naturally meet with little sponse.

This situation also renders almost im possible the introduction of any satisfac tory system of official grading at source, such as has been introduced in recent years in respect of nearly every other important primary agricultural product that is marketed wholesale.

The special contracts made by some estates for regular sale of “estate quality copra” are not a contradiction of the statements made above; for though in such sales the buyer may get the exact quality he wants, and the seller gets the extra price his quality deserves, both have to sacrifice the great advantage of trading in the ooen market. In any event this only affects estates, not the small holders who produce a large pro portion of the world’s copra.

The considerations set out above are not theoretical ones. Let anyone who is interested in the matter ask, for in stance. Messrs. Cadburys or Messrs. Rown trees if they would like to buy cocoa under the same conditions as copra is bought: and further ask them if they think that the quality of cocoa from West Africa would be what it is to-day if there were not accurate definitions in the standard clauses defining grades of cocoa.