Abstract

Coconut palm provides several benefits to the human kind, and has been used since civilization. Accordingly, coconut
shell can be easily collected in places where coconut meat is traditionally used in food processing. Among the various
purposes for coconuts, 35% are used as copra, 2% for manufacturing of value added products, 11% for tender uses
and 2% for seed purpose. The coconut fruit yields 40 % coconut husks containing 30 % fiber, with dust
making up the rest. The chemical composition of coconut husks consists of cellulose, lignin, pyroligneous acid,
gas, charcoal, tar, tannin, and potassium. Conversely, Coconut shell is an agricultural waste and is available in
plentiful quantities throughout tropical countries worldwide. Nonetheless, the economic well-being of a farmer
depends not only on the quantity of food produced but also on the effective product and byproduct utilization as well
as the importance assigned to on-farm integration and waste utilization. This research work evaluated the efficient
use of coconut and its by-products. It concluded that effective utilisation of products/byproducts obtained from
coconut-based agro-ecosystem remains imperative especially for rural farmers. The increasing need to promote
effective utilisation of farm-derived produce for value addition has been recognised due to the emergence of newer
technologies and rising public awareness on the importance of waste utilisation. Hence, in a coconut-based agroecosystem,
effective utilisation of product/by-product is important.