Drying copra, before it is sold in the city. Copra is dried in small constructions like this one, under which a fire is made.

The coconut meat is converted into copra in a structure called a landahan. A landahan has an open pit for fire

below and a horizontal bamboo frame above. The coconut meat is placed on the bamboo frame, where it is

heated by the fire.

In the safest type of landahan, the fire is not directly below the bamboo frame, but off to one side. In this case, a

cement conduit or tunnel channels the heat of the fire, so that it travels horizontally through the passage and

then upward to the bamboo frame, upon which the coconut pieces are resting. The bamboo frame is enclosed

by a low cement wall to concentrate the heat on the coconut pieces. Sometimes wood is used instead of

cement for the wall.

The preferred fuel is the dried husk of the coconut. The fire must be tended. Dried coconut husks are

added as needed. The coconut pieces have to cook all day and part of the night before they are

converted into copra.

The next day, when the landahan is sufficiently cool, the well cooked pieces are separated from the

half-cooked pieces. The half-cooked pieces are placed on the bottom next to the bamboo slats and

the cooked pieces on top. The landahan fire is kindled once more and the coconut pieces are

allowed to cook for about a day. When the cooked pieces become cool, the process is finished.

Copra production is an important enterprise.Without copra production, there would be no palm oil on the

supermarket shelves. In the Philippines, copra production may be a family business. The whole operation

may take place on a couple acres of land adjacent to the family dwelling.

Coconuts being sundried for coconut oil. Copra can be made by smoke drying, sun drying, or kiln drying.

Coconut production plays an important role in the national economy of the Philippines. According to figures

published in December 2009 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it is the world's

largest producer of coconuts, producing 19,500,000 tonnes in 2009. Production in the Philippines is generally

concentrated in medium-sized farms.

The first step on the road to copra production is to get some mature coconuts. This is easily done,

since neighboring farmers have to sell their coconuts somewhere. Also copra producers may have

coconut plantations of their own.

Coconut palms grow to a towering height. Some fall down by themselves, but most have to be cut down.

This is done by a long bamboo pole with a sickle-shaped knife tied to the end. This device is called a

kuhit in the Cebuano language. Sometimes extra poles have to be tied to the end of the kuhit so that it

can reach the coconuts.

Some farmers prefer to climb the coconut palm and cut off the ripe coconuts with a machete.

Many Philippine farmers do not have trucks. To convey the coconuts to the site of copra production,

they use a horse. They tie two large baskets to the horse in such a way that one basket hangs down

on each side. Even if the farmer has a truck, he still needs the horse to carry the coconuts away from

the trees to a convenient place. It is difficult, if not impossible, to drive a truck to each tree on a typical

Philippine coconut plantation.

When the coconuts arrive at the site of family copra production, the work begins. Typically, a family

hires neighbors to help them.

Matured coconuts are collected, dehusked and dried into copra to be sold as raw material for coconut oil.

The husks are allowed to litter the ground for a while, but later they are stored in a building that looks

like a U.S. corn crib.

Huge size

Splitting coconut

Inside the husk, a coconut has a hard shell which is called a bagol in Cebuano. The coconut shell is cut

in half by striking it with the machete.