Overview
This project aimed to research and address the issue of sustainable commercial supply of coconut veneer plywood sheets and / or other product formats to specific end use (consumer and/or industrial) markets.
Coconuts are pivotal in the livelihoods of quasi-subsistence smallholders who dominate Pacific primary production. Viability of this sector is being challenged by the increasing proportion of the coconut plantation estate becoming senile, characterised by significantly reduced fruiting capacity.
The project was conducted in parallel and in partnership with the FST/2019/128 project team. FST/2019/128 primarily focused on technical and social elements of forming a new coconut engineered wood products industry. Project AGB/2021/172 injected critical assessment and develop strategies for commercial stakeholder engagement, private sector alignment, thinking and potential investment and to enable market access.
