Coconut Harvesting in The Philippines

Here's how trees with coconuts are harvested in a palm tree plantation cum resort in Quezon province in the Philippines. Among the recreational facilities like tennis and basketball courts, swimming pools and gazebos are these tall palm trees which are regularly harvested for their glorious fruit. Coconut nuts from Quezon get to reach places as far as Manila, perhaps even the United States for their coconut water, now touted as the new vitality drink. If you've ever wondered how palm coconut trees are harvested of their coconut nuts, then here are pictures that will be of interest to you.



First, the trees with coconuts (the coco fruit of the coco tree of the coco palm family) are harvested with the use of a very long harvester made from bamboo. At the tip of this palm coconut harvester is a sharp-toothed iron cutter which is used to saw through the stalk that bears the coconuts. The cut palm tree coconut nuts fall, are gathered on the ground, and are husked on the spot. The naked coconuts are then placed in baskets often called kaing slung on the back of a horse. The coconuts are then taken to a storage area prior to distribution to buyers.

TRIVIA: How do I open a coconut? First remove the husk. Use a sharp, pointed object that stays in place and just hammer the side of the coconut on it to strip the husk. When all the husk is removed, place the coconut on one hand and use a wedge-shaped tool to strike the side of the coconut (not the part with the eyes) repeatedly with a hammering force, rolling the coconut along as it cracks.