With the sharp fall in prices of coconut, the state government has decided to allow harvest of neera, the sweet sap tapped from the coconut tree, by amending the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965.
The State Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday decided to allow coconut growers to tap neera, which is considered a health drink on account of its high nutritive and medicinal value.
In his 2015-16 Budget, Mr. Siddaramiah said amendments would be made to the Excise Act to permit members of Coconut Growers’ Federation to harvest neera in limited quantities.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra told reporters here that the decision “will help increase the income of coconut growers significantly.” Various products, such as chocolate, syrup, cookies, cakes etc. could be manufactured using neera, he said.
Kerala had come out with a policy to encourage production of neera through coconut producers’ society. The Minister said thousands of coconut farmers in the state, who have been severely affected by pest attacks and drought in the recent years, have been demanding that the government allow tapping of neera.
Freshly tapped neera, if not stored under controlled temperature or consumed within a couple of hours, turns into toddy with about four per cent alcohol on account of fermentation. And the sale of toddy comes within the ambit of the excise laws.
It was decided to amend the excise laws to help growers take up promotion of neera and its value added products. The state had come up with a draft Neera Policy in 2007; but it remained largely on paper.
The government would restrict tapping of neera to some organisations and to some per cent of the trees in the state. The decision would also create job for neera tappers and also help farmers earn additional income.
