Chinese investors fueling Indonesia's coconut boom

Trading partner's rising demand helps island country unlock value of key crop

As China's demand for coconut products keeps rising, the entry of Chinese investors into Indonesia's coconut processing industry and plantations has injected new hope for the Southeast Asian nation to optimize the use of its abundant coconut crops for higher revenue growth.

So far, Indonesia, the world's largest coconut producer, has shipped mostly whole coconuts to more than 100 countries, with China being a major destination, according to the Indonesian Quarantine Agency, a cabinet-level government agency. In fact, China has been Indonesia's largest trading partner for over a decade and is currently one of its top investment sources, too.