Coconut Palm Harvest
In the average, the Coconut palm treeĀ produces about 60 coconuts a year. Fully mature fruits require about one year to ripen. A fully mature coconut will be dark brown in color.
The harvesting methods may differ by each country. The majority of coconuts of the Coconut palm treeĀ are harvested by climbing method and the pole method.
Climbing to the top of the tree with a harvesting knife and cutting the ripe nuts down by hand is common method in many countries. This process is very difficult and considered dangerous labor.
The pole method is used in many countries too. Standing on the ground farmers reach for the ripe coconuts with a long bamboo pole with a sharp knife attached to the end. This process may seem simple, but it requires a lot of experience and special skills. This method is more productive that climbing method.
In several countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia farmers train monkeys to gather fully matures nuts. This procedure is less efficient that other methods.
The easiest method of harvesting is don’t harvest coconuts. Leave coconuts on the tree, when ripe they naturally fall down on the ground and can be picked up by farmers.
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