Pandemic hit coconut exports and sales in Ecuador; the sector is still recovering

Colombia was the main international market. In 2020 he bought 40.64 tons and so far in 2021 he has not purchased the fruit. There is a similar national decline.

Coconut is one of the most versatile fruits and with which a variety of products can be made, from a refreshing drink such as coconut juice to its oil, used in the vegan line and in cosmetics.

Everything is taken advantage of this fruit, its water, pulp, oil and even its shell, say the owners of companies engaged in harvesting and processing.

Today marks theInternational Coconut Dayand this fruit has been hit by the pandemic with a drop in its exports and in national demand.

In 2020,Ecuador harvested 5,776 hectares and produced 26,158 tons, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

Esmeraldas is the province that has the most coconut crops. That year, 5,559 hectares were registered, of which 3,751 were harvested with a production of 10,140 tons.

Manabí is the second province with more hectares: 2,647 and 1,996 harvested. Followed by Orellana with a production of 80 tons.

The strong impact is seen in exports.The country went from selling 40.77 tons in 2020 to 2.46 tons from January to June 2021. That is,from receiving more than $27,000, now you barely reach $1,350.

Colombia was our main international market in 2020, according to data from the Central Bank of Ecuador. There were 40.64 tons exported to the neighboring country for an amount greater than $25,000.

There were minimal percentages exported to the United States, Panama, Japan, the Netherlands and Qatar.

But, ofJanuary to June 2021, Ecuador has only exported to two countries: Spain and Panama.The first, 2.41 tons and second 0.06 have been sent. In that period there is a little over $ 1,300 for those exports.

If we relate this drop to the 2019 figures, it is more abrupt. That year, without a pandemic, there were $35,560 in exports, according to the Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters (Fedexpor).

The decline was also felt in the domestic market, although not as deep as the international one. For example, the Ecuadorian company Dosiler S.A., which runs the Brazilian Coco Express franchise in the country, was affected by the pandemic.

Carlos Quintana, manager of Dosiler S.A., says that in 2020 he registered half of the income received in 2019, which was $3 million.

“It is difficult to keep the company with 50%, there were adjustments, more optimal processes, reduction of personnel”, he recalls, and affirms that the main channel of income, that is, shopping malls, is slowly recovering. They aspire to end the year with 15% more than 2020.

Coco Express supplies 50 mall islandsand other outlets. They also offer wholesale grated coconut to interested businesses.

Your portfolio is based onwater and coconut juice, ice cream and cones. They have added the line of sweets with alfajores, cocadas, biscuits,that are acquired from entrepreneurs.

The company buys the raw material from producers in Manabí and every week an average of 5,000 dry coconuts and a similar number of green coconuts arrive at its factory, located in Guayaquil.

Nowadays,its best-selling product is ice cream, although the others also have their niche. Quintana foresees a full recovery in 2024 and plans to build a new plant for the treatment of coconut shells.

While,Coco Days S. A. y Ecopacificthey have also registered a decrease, and despite this they devise new projects.

Coco Days is dedicated to the sale of grated coconut, nectar, water, pulp,snackand organic virgin oilto fifteen local companies focused on the production, processing and packaging of beverages, ice cream and food service.

Its plantations are located in the Tolita Pamba de Oro sector, in Esmeraldas, and the fruit is transported to its factory located in Quito.

They own 24 hectares of coconut and process between 7,000 and 8,000 kilos of coconut per week.

Pedro Díaz, owner of the company, affirms that he had less income because his clients reduced their consumption. For example, if before they acquired 1,000 kilos, now they are 600 or 700.

It points out that the billing for 2021 will be less than that recorded in 2020, which was $425,000.

Quintana is positive and aspires to include a new product in his catalog:coconut cream,that would have a useful life of 40 days in refrigeration.

Ecopacific is another of the Ecuadorian companies dedicated to the sale of coconut and they do it with their brandCoco freeze.

They offer water and coconut milk and in pipe, that is, whole to drink your water directly from the fruit.

Jorge Vasco, commercial manager of Ecopacific, mentions that they are not excluded from the decrease.Last year they were hit by the pandemicand they project a growth of 15% to 20% at the end of 2021.

“Coconut-based products are a growing market that does not end, we started with coconut water, then we diversified and we have coconut oil”, he says.

The company also has a line of vegan products and these contain coconut oil in their composition.

Vasco maintains that they take advantage of all the coconut. The shell is reused as fertilizer and the fiber is converted into planters.

The product is found in self-service stores, restaurants and supermarkets. They aspire to continue expanding their products nationwide.