JOIN USNeera, the non-fermented sap extracted from the inflorescence of coconut trees, marketed by Udupi Kalparasa Tengu mathu Sarva Sambara Uthpadakara Company, will soon reach consumers under the brand name, ‘Kalparasa.’
‘’Kalparasa is a project jointly chalked by Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, and Bharatiya Kissan Sangha (BKS),’’ said Company President and district BKS General Secretary Satyanarayana Udupa.
The Excise department has given temporary licence to set up a Neera unit at Japthi in Kundapur taluk. The work on the unit will be completed by March end and Kalparasa will be released in the market in April, he said.
Udupa, elaborating on the process, said that Neera would be collected in hygienic boxes (ice box technology) from the trees. It is collected early in the morning from the inflorescence of coconut trees.
The collected sap will be stored in a box packed with ice to prevent fermentation. ‘’Neera with a golden colour is tasty and good for health.
Even those suffering from diabetes can consume it,’’ Udupa added.
He said, ‘’There are plans to collect Neera on the lines of milk procurement by DKMUL (Dakshina Kannada Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Limited). BKS has 54 cocount societies and three coconut federations with 4,820 farmers as members. The Neera collected from each society will be processed in our unit before releasing it to the market.’’
The BKS unit is the second Neera unit in the state after Malenadu Nuts and Spices (MNS).
MNS markets Neera in Bengaluru, Shivamogga and other cities.
He said a farmer who collects Neera from eight trees can earn up to Rs 2.40 lakh annually. Even after collecting Neera, the trees bear more than 50% of coconuts. The project will create 2,500 jobs in the region, he stressed. There are plans to release sugar, honey, chocolate and ice creams made from Neera, Udupa added.