Improving People's lives everyday - naturally!
The coconut is an important crop in the Philippines contributing significantly to its
economy. It is difficult to find a plant of more service to people than the coconut tree. No
wonder, the coconut tree has been called the "most versatile of all" due to its many
uses, from food, fibers, oil, soil fertilizers, spa ingredient, furniture, fashion accessories,
garments, construction and building materials to oleochemicals and biofuels, coconuts
are finding their way into a huge range of modern day products.
The 7,100 islands of the Philippines has always been gracefully accentuated by the
presence of millions of coconut trees, it is truly regarded as one of God's greatest gifts
to the Philippines.
In 1642, Spanish Governor General Salvador Hurtado de Corcuera of the Spanish
colonial government required each Filipino to plant 200 coconut trees under severe
penalties because Spanish shipbuilders had a large need for charcoaled coconut shells
and coconut husks. The Philippines was under Spanishh colonization from 1565 to 1898
(333 years).
The Country's exports of coconut started in 1854 with the first export of dehusked
mature nuts.
The United States has imported its coconuts mainly from the Philippines since 1898
when the Philippine islands became a US possession at the end of the
Spanish-American war. Spain cede the Isla de Filipinas to the United States at the
Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, for twenty million US dollars.
The cinema-like coconut paradise in the photo is an aerial view of Isla de Villa Fuerte in Presentacion,
Camarines Sur, Philippines. It is also known for its carpet of white sand beach that is a host to a rich
underwater marine life.
Brief History of the Coconut