Nata de coco Industry in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia

Abstract

In Asian countries, traditional fermentation plays a significant role in local community enterprises, as it assures the socio-economic and cultural livelihood of several peri-urban regions. Fermentation of nata de coco is in essence a low-revenue enterprise, being mostly oriented toward exportation. A previous chapter presented an overview of the nata de coco in the Philippine archipelago, from its inception to its establishment as a traditional fermentation industry. This chapter provides collated information on the nata's industry from Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. In Ben Tre (Vietnam), the average production of raw nata de coco is in the range of 15,000 tons year-1. Vietnamese trading data from 2010 to 2011 show an average selling price of nata at US$ 137.5 per ton. Thailand's selling price of nata to external market is in the range of US$ 200-1000 per ton. In Indonesia, average (internal) market prices of raw nata de coco sheets range between US$ 68 and 75 per ton. Further processing (by adding flavoring liqors and preservatives) and packaging increases by tenfold the average selling prices.