Copra cutters from Atiu visit once a year to cut coconuts from the trees, and a quantity of the tail feathers of the tropic birds.
Copra, cocoa, kava and beef account for more than 60% of Vanuatu's total exports by value and agriculture accounts for 20% of GDP.
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Copra is by far the most important cash crop (making up more than 35% of the country's exports), followed by timber, beef, and cocoa.
He fought in favor of traditional Gilbertese culture, helped to publicize the complaints of village copra growers, and criticized what he saw as a disproportionate amount of government expenditure on Tarawa over the other islands.
Phosphate and copra entrepreneur John T. Arundel visited the island in 1909 on maiden voyage of the S.S. Ocean Queen and near the beach landing on the western shore members of the crew built a pyramidal day beacon made from slats of wood, which was painted white.
Leonard was a half-brother of Fred Whibley, copra trader, on Niutao, Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu); and his half-sister was Eliza Eleanor (Lillie), wife of John T. Arundel, owner of J. T. Arundel and Company which evolved into the Pacific Islands Company, and later the Pacific Phosphate Company, which commenced phosphate mining in Nauru and Banaba Island (Ocean Island).
Vincent's family, the Fullard-Leo family, purchased the Palmyra Atoll (except for some minor islets) on August 19, 1922 for $15,000.00 from Henry Ernest Cooper, and established the Palmyra Copra Company.
In the case of Cocos Islands, the Malays were first brought as slaves under Alexander Hare in 1826, but were then employed as coconut harvesters for copra.
The island's major exports are copra and hand crafts (including cowrie shell, shark tooth knives, and Kiribati stamps).