A bio-fertiliser made from coconut water and other ingredients and a plant immunity booster made from coconut tree petiole are among the four new products to be released by South Canara Coconut Farmers’ Producer Company Ltd. (FPC), Puttur, at a function in Mangaluru on Thursday, November 16.
Coconut pickle manufactured by South Canara Coconut Farmers’ Producer Company Ltd. (FPC), Puttur. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The other two products will be chutney powder made from copra and coconut oil.
Informing this to presspersons here on Monday, November 13, the president and managing director of the FPC S.K. Kusumadhar said that the products will be released at the inauguration of the Regional Office of the FPC near Maroli Suryanarayana Temple in the city. The Regional Office will also serve as the 11th branch of the FPC.
He said that the FPC has already released the pickle made from coconut in the market. In addition, it has released entomopathogenic nematode, a bio-liquid for controlling root and white grubs. The FPC also produced vermicompost made from coconut fiber and compost manufactured from coconut fiber.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FPC A. Chethan said that about 10 month to 11 month old coconut is used to make pickle which can be preserved up to six months. The plant immunity booster to be released can be applied to any plant.
The CEO said that the FPC now has a coconut processing unit at Doddathota, near Sullia, which produced eight tons of copra a day by purchasing coconut from its farmer members. The company established on August 5, 2021 has 14,403 members having more than 15,000 coconut trees spread over 332 plus villages. It has plans to open its branch in each taluk.
He said that the FPC is in the process of opening its ‘kalpa rasa’ (or neera) unit. When it is operational, a grower can earn ₹2 lakh per annum from eight coconut trees.
The CEO said that the FPC has opened a toll free number 180 02030129 to provide information to coconut growers on coconut related matters. The growers can use Tulu language too get the information.
He said that it has provided training to more than 120 women in preparing handicraft products from coconut shells. It has linked coconut farmers with 480 trained coconut harvesters (or coconut tree climbers) who have been arranged with ₹5 lakh health insurance each.
Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader will inaugurate the Regional Office at Maroli at 10 a.m. on Thursday, he said.
