Coconut production in Niue  In 2013, the island country Niue produced 3,200 tonnes of coconuts valued at INT$385,830. Coconut is a cash crop on the island, which is converted to derivatives such as copra and coconut cream in tinned form, and also exported. Originally, the island had a profusion of coconut trees reflected in the country's name, Niue, in the local language. The Niue Development Board is responsible for planning and execution of schemes of agricultural produce, including coconut and related products. The name of the island "Niue" is the local name for coconut. The coconut is not indigenous to the island or any of the Pacific Islands. It has been stated that it could be from Central America. It has been growing on the island since historical times. One view, by a local man, is that the plant drifted ashore and was picked up and planted at Mutalau. It could have drifted due to trade winds. Another view is that voyagers carried them in their canoes and planted them in the islands, which they visited during journey. According to local legend two men, Levei-matagi and Levei-fualoto, who travelled from Tutuila carrying gifts of coconuts given to them by the local chief, came to the island and called it the island "Niue-fekai", after the name of the coconut "niue". Its growth is more prominent in the island's lower terrace rather than the interior, and in villages on the eastern side; Mutalau to Lakepa on the northern part of the island account for its largest plantations. In the 1880s, coconut plantations had been created by clearing half the area of the island. A coconut cream factory closed in 1991, subsequent to hurricane damage. As of 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization reports 3,200 tonnes of coconut production, valued at INT$385,830, from an area of with an average yield of 9,697 hectograms per ha (969.7 tons/ha). A coconut with little pulp is called "kola" and "pona-niu". The stem on which the nut grows is called the "loholoho", the flowering stage is called "tome," the young shoot is named "uruka", midrib of the leaf is called "palelafe", the rib of each separate branch is known as "kaniu". As the fruits start maturing the sponge that develops inside is called "who-niu".