If I were a coconut seller……….

Georgina Asare Fiagbenu
If I were a coconut seller or grower I cannot imagine how I will feel. In the first place the way coconut is normally sold in Ghana is a big challenge; its normally sold by men carrying big silver basins with about 20 to 30 pieces of coconut in them with a big cutlass. It is very scary and I sometimes feel it’s a threat to public safety but someone will also argue that the poor planning and dirt in the country is also a threat. So what do we do? We all look at these cutlass bearing men who walk around minding their own business.
The coconut sellers normally look tired and burdened and you can’t blame them because the weight of the coconut and the cutlass alone is enough to weigh them down. You either carry the basin or be left with the choice of being saddled with a truck which you have to push along or find a nice spot to serve as your point of sale. A few of the coconut sellers along the coast simply dump them by the road side and sell them in the hot sun.
Although I always shudder when I meet a coconut seller carrying a cutlass I gladly approach them and buy the coconut. It is very convenient and nutritious!. In this very hot environment it is a healthy choice from the hundred and one artificial drinks which has flooded the market. I wonder why the fruit is normally sold by men.
When I consider the priceless nature of coconut and its multiple uses I wonder why we are not taking full advantage of it to generate businesses out of it.
If I were a coconut seller I will really think through this business which is a major economic driver for some countries. The use of coconut is immeasurable and I doubt that coconut sellers appreciate the full potential of the business they are in?
In a country like Maldives the coconut is the national tree and is considered the most important plant in the country. Before modern construction methods were introduced, coconut leaves were used as roofing materials for many houses in the islands, while coconut timber was used to build houses and boats. Could this be a solution to our housing problem in Ghana?
We all know that the coconut just like the oil palm tree can be used for a number of culinary uses. The coconut provides oil for frying, cooking, and making margarine. The white, fleshy part of the seed is used fresh or dried in cooking, especially in confections and desserts. Coconut flour has also been developed for use in baking, to combat malnutrition. Coconut water can be fermented to produce coconut vinegar.
In my readings, I learnt that in the Philippines, Sri Lanka and others, Coconut is used in making ropes, mats, door mats, brushes, sacks, caulking for boats and as stuffing fiber for mattresses. It is used in horticulture; whilst its husk and shells can be used for fuel or as charcoal. In parts of South India, the shell and husk of coconuts are burned for smoke to repel mosquitoes. Could this be the answer to our malaria problems?
The roots are used as a dye, a mouthwash, and a medicine for diarrhea and dysentery. A frayed piece of root can also be used as a toothbrush. Coconuts are used in the beauty industry as moisturizers and body butters because coconut oil, due to its chemical structure, is readily absorbed by the skin. The coconut shell may also be ground down and added to products for exfoliation of dead skin.
Coconut sellers in Ghana are unknowingly carrying a whole industry that can potentially turn around Ghana’s economy. Their naivety about the importance of coconut beyond the refreshing drink it provides is not funny. They are carrying a potential gold mine on their heads. Can we imagine if we had a cooperative union that brings all coconut growers, harvesters, large sale carriers, transporters, sellers and users together? We should perhaps be gearing up to organize a coconut conference. For years all we have been talking about are the Cocoa farms, Mining potentials, Oil and Gas conferences etc, not much is said about the coconut industry. It is time for someone including coconut growers to begin to think about the coconut industry and its ability to generate wealth, offer employment, and nurture people in the art industry.
I believe the Coconut industry can be an oxygen for Ghana’s economy or a solution to the unemployment situation. It is very refreshing and a good practice to break a coconut, drink its juice and eat the flesh but it is even better if we think about it as source of livelihood for potentially thousands of people.
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