Location (States):
Ondo, Delta, Lagos, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa.

Annual Production (Metric Tonnes): 
1999 = 175,000
2000 = 181,000

Industrial uses:
For food, soap, detergent, lubricant and edible oil processing industries

Process Technology/Equipment:
Coconut oil production

Fruit harvesting, removal of shell, kernel extraction, crushing of kernel, oil extraction.

Equipment
Sheller, mill, oil expeller.

Industrial Uses:   
Production is limited to the Southern parts of Nigeria, predominantly in the coastal regions.  Over 50% of the palm are wild and tall, making harvesting difficult.  It has both food and industrial uses.  In industry, coconut oil is used in the manufacture of pure coconut oil soaps.  With tallow, it is largely used in the manufacture of toilet and laundry soaps.  In modified or original form, it is used in the paint and varnish industry.  It is also processed into methyl esters, fatty acids and fatty alcohol.  Its industrial potentials are very high.
Coconut oil has high lauric acid that is extensively used in soap industry.  Desiccated coconut is also increasingly gaining prominence as good filler for sweets, biscuits and other coconut flavoured food, candies, ice cream etc.  It also has high export potential as well as local industrial uses.

R&D Activities:
Nigeria Institute for Oil palm Research (NIFOR) has the national mandate to improve production and utilization of Coconut in the Country.