--- title: Prepare Yourself for a Major Coconut Crisis in the Caribbean description: Experts warn of an impending coconut shortage in Caribbean plantations, which are struggling to keep up with demand for the trendy product. canonical: https://time.com/4488043/a-major-coconut-shortage-with-global-consequences-may-have-hit-the-caribbean/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-12T20:12:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:36:26.593Z og:title: Prepare Yourself for a Major Coconut Crisis in the Caribbean og:description: New reports warn of an impending shortage of the trendy tropical product. og:url: https://time.com/4488043/a-major-coconut-shortage-with-global-consequences-may-have-hit-the-caribbean/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte242d5e6bec5d641/6988a598f887dc03dce97601/split-coconut.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Whole and split coconut og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Prepare Yourself for a Major Coconut Crisis in the Caribbean twitter:description: New reports warn of an impending shortage of the trendy tropical product. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte242d5e6bec5d641/6988a598f887dc03dce97601/split-coconut.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Major Coconut Shortage With Global Consequences May Hit the Caribbean  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 12, 2016 8:12 PM UTC  Coconuts from the Caribbean are about to be much harder to come by. Coconuts from the Caribbean are about to be much harder to come by.DEA / STECIA—Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 12, 2016 8:12 PM UTC If you depend on [trendy coconut water](http://time.com/3559621/coconut-water-nutrition/?iid=sr-link1) to stave off your morning hangovers, coconut oil to condition your hair, or [coconut milk to flavor](http://time.com/3695436/starbucks-coconut-milk/?iid=sr-link1) your lattes, you’ll want to start stocking up now on your elixir of choice, because the Caribbean is facing a serious shortage of the popular tropical fruit. An unfortunate trifecta of bad storms, problematic droughts, and an insect-borne fruit disease called “Lethal Yellowing” have all converged on the tropics to severely impact coconut farms’ production capacity, as locally, prices are up and supply is limited [Bloomberg reports.](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-09/just-when-the-world-craves-coconuts-the-caribbean-s-running-out) Caribbean plantations have already shrunk up to 17% since 1994, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization shared. “It’s fair to say that at this pace, the Caribbean is running out of coconuts,” a coordinator of a Trinidadian coconut research program told Bloomberg. This comes on the heels of a major boom in coconut consumption around the world. Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, [Rihanna](http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/471632/madonna-rihanna-team-up-for-coconut-water-campaign), Gwyneth Paltrow, and Matthew McConaughey have endorsed the benefits of coconut-based products, and brands like Starbucks, [Vita Coco](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20401751,00.html), and Trader Joe’s are avidly catering to the growing demand for the “It” fruit. Coconut water alone is a nearly $4 billion industry, and the price of coconut oil has gone up about 50% since 2013, according [to _The Wall Street Journal_.](http://www.wsj.com/articles/coconuts-go-upscale-boosting-price-of-conventional-coconut-oil-1460017362) Outside of the Caribbean, coconut-producing regions like the Philippines and Indonesia [are also struggling](http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/30/asia/philippines-coconuts/) as they deal with the longterm consequences of natural disasters and demand that is outstripping the pace of coconut trees’ growth. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4488043/a-major-coconut-shortage-with-global-consequences-may-have-hit-the-caribbean/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4488043/a-major-coconut-shortage-with-global-consequences-may-have-hit-the-caribbean/"},"headline":"A Major Coconut Shortage With Global Consequences May Hit the Caribbean","datePublished":"2016-09-12T20:12:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:36:26.593Z","description":"All trends must die","url":"https://time.com/4488043/a-major-coconut-shortage-with-global-consequences-may-have-hit-the-caribbean/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Food & Drink"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte242d5e6bec5d641/6988a598f887dc03dce97601/split-coconut.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte242d5e6bec5d641/6988a598f887dc03dce97601/split-coconut.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Whole and split coconut","caption":"Whole and split coconut","creditText":"DEA / STECIA—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4488043/a-major-coconut-shortage-with-global-consequences-may-have-hit-the-caribbean/","name":"A Major Coconut Shortage With Global Consequences May Hit the Caribbean"}}]}] ```