Pengkomersialan Tanaman Kelapa di Selangor Sebelum Tahun 1940 (The Commercialisation of Coconut Cultivation in Selangor Before 1940)

Abstract

The first half of the 20th century witnessed the rise and development of coconut cultivation in Selangor as an export-oriented agricultural sector. Selangor was among the most productive states in coconut produce and contributed to the quantity of coconut exports in Malaya. By the end of the 19th century, coconut product saw an encouraging increase in demands in the international market as European countries began to turn to coconut as raw material for manufacture and food. Noting the potential of coconut as an export commodity with economic value, the British paid particular attention to efforts to commercialise its cultivation. Therefore, this study aims to study the strategies of coconut commercialisation in Selangor, and to analyse its implications on the development of the coconut cultivation sector before 1940. To explain this question, this study uses the qualitative and library research methods by referring to the Selangor Secretariat Files, the Selangor Annual Reports, and the records from the Agriculture Department. The research findings show the special strategies involving aspects of governance, legislation, and land ownership implemented to commercialise coconut cultivation has transformed the pattern of development of the coconut cultivation sector, from a food crop to an export commodity-producing commercial crop. The large-scale coconut production led to the emergence of coconut-based industries with products such as coconut oil and dried coconut (copra) to be exported as raw material to meet the demands in the international market.