Inside the coconut cartel: how Chinese money squeezes Thai farmers

Thai coconut farmers are being squeezed by Chinese-linked market manipulation, with prices hitting record lows of two baht (six US cents) per coconut in Samut Sakhon province. An 81-year-old farmer describes the desperate situation facing aging Thai growers as Chinese money allegedly controls the coconut supply chain, suppressing farm-gate prices while demand for Thai coconuts in China remains high. The situation highlights commodity market distortions driven by foreign capital concentration in