So many in the South Asian nation owe their education to this round fruit

Irfan Abd Rahim feels forever indebted to his father for tirelessly climbing up coconut palm trees, picking the fruit, and then selling the coconuts and dried coconut meat, copra, to traders in South Halmahera in North Maluku Province many years ago.

The traders then sold those to other traders who processed them into cooking oil and powder before selling them at local markets or shipping them to other places including the then-faraway Java Island.

"For me, talking about coconuts means talking about my academic degree," said the 42-year-old native of North Halmahera, who holds a bachelor's degree in law and is now the editor-in-chief of a media outlet based in the City of Ternate in North Maluku Province. Abd Rahim's two siblings also graduated from college, thanks to their father's hard work.