Leading Coconut Water Producers in Southeast Asia

Coconut water has become an extremely popular and sought out drink in both its sweetened and unsweetened forms. While in many countries throughout Asia and Latin America coconut water is consumed directly from the fruit, in western countries and urban settings this refreshing drink is marketed as a packaged good. The leading packaged coconut water brands include: Sri Lanka Gold, Nature Factor Organic Coconut Water, ZICO, Coco Libre, Naked, Taste Nirvana Real Coconut Water, Vita Coco, Amy & Brian Coconut Juice, and O.N.E. Most of these major brands are sourced in Southeast Asia, notably Thailand. Meanwhile, the rest are of Latin American origin, notably Brazil. However, coconuts in Southeast Asia tend to be slightly sweeter than those from Latin America. This article explores the status of agriculture in Thailand, a leading supplier of coconut water worldwide.

Leading Coconut Water Producers in Southeast Asia

The Kingdom of Thailand is a mid-sized country with a total territory of little over 513.000 square kilometers, which is larger than California. Likewise, Thailand has a total population of more than 68 million citizens, over half of which live in an urban setting, notably the capital city of Bangkok, which has almost 10 million inhabitants. Currently, Thailand’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) is of approximately US$1 trillion and its national economy has experienced positive growth in recent years. The national economy is divided into 9% agriculture, 36% manufacturing, and 55% services. Similarly, the Thai agricultural industry employs 32% of the national labor force, while manufacturing employs some 17% and services employ another 51%. Meanwhile, the agriculture industry utilizes about 41% of the national territory, while another 38% is forested.

In terms of natural resources, Thailand has tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, and arable land. Within manufacturing, the national industry is focused on textiles & garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, jewelry, electric appliances, computers, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, and automobiles. Likewise, a large sector of the Thai economy is devoted to the tourism industry. Meanwhile, the country’s agricultural industry has as main products rice, cassava, tapioca, rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, palm oil, pineapple, livestock, and seafood. In terms of trade, Thailand belongs to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is a leading regional bloc for commercial integration and political cooperation. Similarly, Thailand’s main trade partners are China, Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, and Malaysia.

In Thailand, unfortunately, some 5 million people currently suffer from undernourishment. Likewise, in recent years, the average per capita protein intake of animal origin amongst the Thai population has been of 23 grams daily. Meanwhile, cereals, roots, and tubers supply about 50% of the average food energy intake in the country. Simultaneously, land distribution in Thailand has evolved throughout the last half century. Back in 1961, permanent pastures and meadows in the country covered 260.000 hectares, while arable land covered over 10 million hectares and permanent crops accounted for almost 1 million hectares. More recently, by 2014, permanent pastures and meadows had increased to cover 800.000 hectares, while arable land represented almost 17 million hectares and permanent crops covered some 4.5 million hectares.

(Read more about Agricultural and Economic Development in China)