World top producer to rethink coconut trade

Old tradition: Coconut trees that are harvested for milk tend to be taller than 15m, so monkeys are often used instead. — AP

BANGKOK: Thailand, the world’s top producer of coconut milk, says it will enable retailers and consumers to trace coconuts back to their source to show whether monkeys have been used for harvesting.

The US$400mil industry, which relies on monkeys at some plantations, is facing possible boycotts in the United States, Europe and Australia after the People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals, known as Peta, alleged that monkeys are being abused and “treated like coconut picking machines” for Thai growers and producers.