S.E.-Asia Coconut Convention

Philippines Plan A New Organisation

From R. W. ROBSON, in London, August 8

[ It is expected that representatives of six producing countries, as well as epresentatives of 12 other countries interested in the export and import of opra. will attend the Southeast Asia Coconut Convention, to be held in lanila between August 26 and 31.

HHE Philippines Coconut Admin istration (which appears to have f grown out of the former Philip [nes Coconut Producers’ Union) is •sponsible for the preliminary rganisation of this Convention. It as announced originally, in May, lat a conference, in which Philip [nes, Indonesian and Ceylon pro ucers were primarily interested, ould be held in Manila on August \ A later announcement said that ie conference had been postponed f a date later in the year, and ould be held in Colombo: and then ,te in June, came the further an auncement that the function would ike place in Manila, August 26-31.

The agenda provides for study ad discussion of the following of the copra industry; [The standardisation of quality.

The maintenance of the prices of the various products of the coco- I nut-growing industry.

The encouragement of research, r so as to extend the use of the industry’s various products.

The encouragement of the pro ; duction of oil, rather than of copra, in the various areas where I coconut-growing is a major in ‘ dustry.

It is explained that the Conven an has been approved and onsored by the Philippines Coco it Administration, and that it is >ped that there may be created I international organisation for e help and encouragement of conut planting, modelled some hat on the lines of the Inter- Itional Tea Union, ♦OPRA interests in London seem to be intrigued by this SE Asian conference—they are not re about its purpose and back ound. On the face of it, it looks [e a sound move to lift the status [the copra industry in the Asian here: but there is some suspicion at politics are involved. Euro ans do not easily forget the Asia !rica Convention at Bandoeng, in donesia, last April. That finished > in a more or less innocuous con tion—but it was originally con lived as an anti-European and ,nti-colonial” demonstration, carry g the Communist blessing.

The three countries chiefly con rned with this Coconut Conven m Philippines, Ceylon and donesia —are now almost aggres rely nationalist in character, and

there is a good deal of anti-Euro peanism in their nationalism.

World production of copra in the latest available year, 1953, was as follows:

It can be seen that the three countries nominally responsible for the conference idea, with India and Malaya, could control about 80 per cent, of the world’s copra produc tion.

The little publicity that the con ference plan already has had sug gests that the chief purposes be hind the convention are the im provement of copra quality, and the encouragement of its greater use as a foodstuff. But there also is a suspicion that the conveners have their eyes upon the world market, and the manner in which that market has been and may be in fluenced by the operations of the international organisation, Unilever.

A move by copra producers to influence or control the copra market might have been successful three or four decades back, when manufacturers had not many alternatives to copra and coconut oil. But the position to-day is different. The manufacturers to day can use almost any one of a dozen different oils, vegetable and animal, purified and deodorised, as an alternative to coconut oil.

If the Governments of the self conscious Asiatic States co-operate with an international organisation of copra-growers, such as is planned, to popularise the consumption of coconut oil and meal by the rapidly-awakening and countless millions of Asia, they may intro duce a new and important factor to the world’s copra market.

Despite the growing use of alternatives, the world’s manufac turers do normally require a great deal of copra and coconut oil; and the development of a new source of demand for those commodities undoubtedly would tend to harden and maintain the world’s price. (No details of the outcome of the conference were available from Can berra as late as September 12, when PIM made inquiries).

Philippines . . .. 856,000 tons Indonesia .. 730,000 99 Ceylon .. . .. 225,000 99 India . . . 190,000 19 Malaya .. . . .. 152,000 99 All others . . .. 538,000 Total .. . . .. 2,691,000 tons