This case study is about nata de coco, a chewy, translucent, indigenous dessert in the Philippines that is very popular in Japan. In 1993, Japanese people, especially young people considered nata de coco a popular dessert, however, its popularity declined because their interest moved to another trendy dessert. Small coconut farmers and those who started manufacturing nata de coco in the Philippines began to export more nata de coco to Japan in 1993. Though Japan imported 90 percent of the Philippines nata de coco, its supply did not meet the demand for the dessert in Japan. About one year later, the product's astonishing popularity quieted. Environmental and unemployment problems arose because of Japan was importing nata de coco from the Philippines. Moreover, the end of the nata de coco boom seemed the best time to focus on the poverty and underdevelopment in the Philippines, whose origin could be dated back to a century ago.
A. Introduction
This case study is about coconuts in the Philippines. About 5 years ago, nata de coco, a dessert which is made from coconuts, was a big fad in Japan.�@�@However, problems arose because the production of nata de coco could not catch up with its demand in Japan and, after the nata de coco boom in Japan was over, people moved to another dessert from overseas. As a result of this whim, many problems have arisen in the Philippines.
B. Definition
Nata de coco is a chewy, translucent, traditional Philippine dessert which is "coconut gel-product from coconut water by bacterial fermentation-prepared."(Antarindo Trading Web Page) In 1992, this dessert was introduced to Japan through its use in diet foods enjoyed by young girls. (Metcalfe, 1994: 76)Moreover, "Japanese believed it protects the body against colon cancer," and it became "a boon for slimmers." (Metcalfe) Nata de coco is high in fiber, good for the digestive system, and it is low in calories and contains no cholesterol. Its peak moment of popularity in Japan occurred in 1993. Nata de coco could be found everywhere at that time. Many companies manufacturing nata de coco rivaled each other for new nata de coco products.
C. Positive Conditions
The nata de coco boom in Japan brought a huge impact on the small labor-intensive cottage industry in the Philippines. Nata de coco was usually produced at coconut farmers' houses in the countryside, and it was an indigenous dessert. However, it suddenly became one of the most important exports. "Filipinos are busy capitalizing on a sudden foreign craving for an indigenous coconut by-product." (Metcalfe) The Manila Bulletin described nata de coco as a 'Miracle Product'.(Metcalfe) The nata de coco boom was a stroke of luck for the Philippines, who had been going through export an economical depression. The cottage industry attracted many Filipino workers to turn over and get into its industry because the way of making nata de coco is simple; it does not take high-tech machinery and a lot of money to produce. The cottage industry added to its factory and labor, and it put its utmost into nata de coco production.�@�@
Metcalfe mentions that "[a]t Martinez Nata de Coco in Lucena City, production increased by 400%, from 500 to 2,000 trays a month. Expansion is limited not by demand, which appears to be limitless, but by space." (Metcalfe) Furthermore, "In Los Banos, a major producing area, the crime rate has dropped dramatically," because the people committing crimes were working to make nata de coco.(Metcalfe)
D. Negative Conditions
It is the rule that `the Golden Age' has never been maintained, and the nata de coco boom in Japan was also not an exception. Japanese people, especially young people, turned their interest to a different dessert which was also from a foreign country. Japanese makers followed the trend and moved their focus to the new dessert. In the Philippines, people might be depressed as they looked at a stack of nata de coco. Its countryside returns to silence as though people had been busy making the "Miracle Product' was a dream. More importantly, the Philippines developed many problems which were not there during the boom. For example, producing nata de coco requires a kind of strong acetic acids. Since nata de coco was made at small private factories in the countryside, people did not pay attention to the effects of the acetic acids, and they discharged it into the soil. That caused dermatitis and soil acidity. (Futakami Jirou's World Web Page) Moreover, the end of the boom uncovered big problems in the Philippines, such as poverty and underdevelopment.
E. Coconut Industry in the Philippines
The Philippines is the largest coconut-producing country in the world. (Sakakibara, 1994: 88) It is said that there are 330 million coconut farmers in the Philippines, which is equivalent to one out of three people in the primary industries engage in coconut farms. (Sakakibara: 40) Price movement easily affects the income of coconut framers and even though a farmer has ten coconut trees, he could earn his bread at one time. (Sakakibara: 40) The coconut industry in the Philippines are jeopardized in intensifying competitions because 88 percent are small scale farmers, less than five hectares, and they do not have a unified management strategy. (Sakakibara: 90-91)
F. History
a. The History of Coconut Plantations
"[An American adventurer] met with the elders of [a] Muslim village and told them he wanted to turn their cow-grazing land into a coconut plantation.�c�c"(Tiglao, 1999: 63-5) The coconut plantation in the Philippines began from a century ago, right after the Spanish left. (Tiglao) Tiglao insists that "the headlong rush into coconut farming in the Philippines early this century has left the country impoverished and underdevelopment." (Tiglao) The more Christians migrated to the Muslim village, the more lands were replaced by coconut plantations, and then, coconut trees dominated in the rural Muslim areas. (Tiglao) In 1642, the Spanish colonizers ordered each native to plant 200 of coconut trees for "caulk[ing] their galleons, and its husks," and "making ships' rigging," in 1930, 150,000 hectares, or 5% of arable land, were coconut trees. (Tiglao) Today, three million hectares, a quarter of the country's agricultural land, were covered by coconut plantations.(Tiglao)
b. The Rise of coconut demand
Until in the 19th century, two everyday commodities, soap and margarine, were made from beef fat, mainly from America. (Tiglao) Since blizzards and drought hit in the United States, and the cattle industry received huge damage, soap and margarine manufacturers used vegetable oils as less-expensive alternates. (Tiglao)Then, coconut came into the spotlight. European countries took coconuts from their Asian colonies, and American soap manufacturers had their eyes on the Philippines, the U.S. is newest colony. (Tiglao)
Coconut trees were planted with unrecorded speed in the Philippines. The area of coconut plantations overtook that of a more famous export crop, sugarcane by 1930. (Tiglao) After two world wars ended, not only soap and margarine, but coconut oil became popular with advances in chemistry, and coconut oil became one of the biggest export items in the Philippines. "Until 1970s, coconut oil continued as the country's biggest export product, accounting for 35% of the total."(Tiglao)
c. The Root of Poverty and Underdevelopment
Coconut exports bring the Philippines lots of foreign exchange, and it is very important to its income. Coconut planting, however, results in massive deforestation, and due to the fact that coconut trees dominate in certain areas, the ecosystem must be changed. "But perhaps the most destructive legacy of the West's demand for coconut oil is the Philippines' poverty and economic underdevelopment." (Tiglao) Even if the Philippines has got profits from coconut exports, the profits go to traders and exporters, not a third of the country's population, farmers. (Tiglao) Now, "the value of coconut oil has fallen in real terms through the decades, partly as a result of increased production of substitutes such as American and Chinese soybean and cottonseed oil as well as sunflower-seed oil from the former Soviet republics." (Tiglao) Tiglao concludes that "[e]ven now, the country faces tremendous problems that emerged a century ago, because of the West's cravings for soap and margarine." (Tiglao)
As I mentioned before, the nata de coco boom in Japan in 1993 was unforeseen luck for poor coconut farmers. Yet, farmers were eventually at the mercy of the boom. Practically, Japan exploited the developing country, the Philippines, where the West has already formed the relationship of exploitation.
G. Conclusion
This case study about nata de coco is a good example of the impact of trade which can lead to changing the environment and culture of people and places. Generally, less developed countries sacrifice themselves for more developed countries. Even when the colonial period was over, and almost all colonies obtained independence, the exploitative bond has still remained. The Philippines has given up its rich forest, and then, the Philippines has exported coconut to get foreign exchange. Still, the people are poor as long as the exploitative bond will not cut off.
