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The Germans at the time were interested in the islands for their natural resources, most notably copra, or dried coconut, which can be used to make soap and a variety of other products.

Now I brought out the stores I had put by month after month—rice and dhal and ghee, jars of oil, betel leaf, areca nuts, chewing tobacco and copra.

The Nicobarese began drying coconut flesh into copra, which they bartered with private traders or local cooperatives for rice, sugar, kerosene, cloth and other goods not produced on the islands.

The vessel, loaded with almost 30 tonnes of dried coconut kernels called copra and 35 empty fuel drums, was not licensed to carry passengers in the open ocean.

And he has become involved in production of copra, the dried kernel of coconut which is used to extract oil for cooking, hair oils, shampoo, margarine and detergents.