Quirimba Island - coconut plantation

Over half the island is coconut plantation. Most of it is currently going towards the production of copra, which is used to produce industrial coconut oils, which in turn are used in cooking oils, soaps, and other products. In this clip, Hans, who runs the day to day operation of the plantation, explains how they harvest, process and distribute their product:



A few pics below. The tree on the left has just one of the peculiar growth patterns, along with corkscrew shapes, that coconut palms are prone to exhibit. On the right a large African fish eagle taking flight from a palm on the side of the island containing the younger, more productive trees.

Finally, Hans and his staff manager, Massenga, here at the 'port' on the island, talking about the shipment of copra that they're loading onto the dhow (sailboat) behind them. It took this dhow and two others 21 days to sail from Zanzibar down to Quirimba because of the winds/currents, no stopping in between!! Should be less than half that going back, but even then I can't imagine having to deal with the waves, sun and cramped quarters for that long...