Coconut processing generates plenty of by-products, especially the outer husk, which used to be considered waste.

In Côte d’Ivoire, this is often still the case, where coconut farmers and processors burn the waste.

FIBRIVOIRE produces coconut peat, Coir nets, substrate, and coconut fibre from over 50,000 tons of coconut outer husks annually. They most recently also started producing Coir mats as a result of their high water retention capacity which is suitable for greenhouses and nurseries for plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Some companies on the other hand, do see use and opportunities for value addition for coconut by-products. Located in Grand Bassam on the road to Bonoua, FIBRIVOIRE (société Ivoirienne de transformation des bourres de coco en fibres) is one of the companies that since 1988, specializes in the extraction of natural fibres from the husk. Each year, the company collects and processes almost 50,000 tons of coconut outer husk.

FIBRIVOIRE exports the majority of its products to Europe (including France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Spain), as well as the United States and Asia.

HortiFresh continues to engage actors like FIBRIVOIRE’S initiative to expand. This year, HortiFresh supported the company by linking it to possible partners through a virtual trade mission as they prepare to expand their activities. The presence of this company in West Africa is an opportunity for fruit and vegetable actors in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to obtain fibre and substrate for farming at lower costs.