After the long drought in 1997, there remain 1,747 hectares of hybrid coconut plantings at Batu Ampar: 883 hectares planted in 1991 and 864 hectares planted in 1992. They are the best blocks , which have not been uprooted and converted into oil palm . As they were planted in relatively more suitable soils , they could resist a bit better to the drought. Following a long period of abundant and well-distributed rainfall, the nut loads were highly satisfactory in July 2000: the harvest in the second half of the year will be excellent. This shows that, whilst a long drought causes production to slump for several months, the coconut palms survive and recover their entire production potential once the climate improves. The mineral nutrition management trials have continued. They reveal the importance of chlorine and the lesser importance of potassium. A fertilizer schedule based on these results is proposed for 2001. The current copra drying methods are inappropriate. In order to produce standard quality copra on a regular basis, drying units based on the Ecopanel model at Batu Mulia need to be constructed. The copra will then be processed at the neighbouring Sei Kupang mill. The future profitability of this coconut estate could then be assessed taking into account: - yield fluctuations linked to the probability of long dry seasons occurring, - the added value achieved by coconut oil production on site.