Intercropping of coconuts with cocoa in Malaysia

Intercropping offers an effective solution to the problem of increasing productivity of existing coconut areas in Malaysia. There is a large acreage of land on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia where the coconut is grown as a monocrop on fertile alluvial clays. A considerable proportion of this area can be underplanted with cocoa. Small-scale trials in the fifties were highly encouraging by 1965, large-scale commercial cocoa plantings under coconuts had become a reality. The favourable prices for cocoa beans in recent years, coupled with low and unstable economic returns from coconut monoculture and the provision of a ready-made shade system, have given a boost to this cropping system, so that it accounts for a major part of the rapid expansion of the cocoa industry in the country. The present situation with respect to planting materials, cultural practices, fertiliser inputs, pests and diseases, harvesting and processing, as well as yields and profitability is considered and the main areas of research are discussed. The establishment of new coconut plantings derived from high-yielding hybrid materials could significantly enhance the potential of this cropping system.