The blanket ban on tapping toddy owing to the lockdown imposed to check the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a blow on around 15,000 families in East Godavari district, who eke out their living from the traditional vocation.
The Excise Department is strictly implementing the ban on toddy tapping and sale to ensure the implementation of social distancing norms during the lockdown.
According to officials, about 15,122 toddy tappers families are registered with the Excise Department. However, nearly 10,000 of them solely depend on the toddy tapping for livelihood.
‘Loss in peak season’
The toddy tappers say that toddy can only be harvested during the summer and the lockdown in the peak season has rendered them jobless. As cascading effect, several hundreds of families who eke out their living by selling toddy have also lost their livelihood.
On Friday, hundreds of toddy tappers poured out their woes before Ramachandrapuram MLA Ch. Srinivas Venugopala Krishna. “During the summer, we tap toddy from the trees thrice a day. With the lockdown, we have been sitting at home without work. How will we run our families?,” they said.
The toddy tappers appealed to the State government to provide them financial assistance.
In a recent meeting with the officials in early April, Agriculture Minister K. Kannababu and his health counterpart Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas promised that they would take the plights of toddy tappers to the notice of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“During the meeting, I had suggested that the State government could consider offering a special package on par with the fishermen during the 61-day annual ban,” said Mr. Venugopala Krishna.
The MLA distributed essential commodities to 300 toddy tappers families in Ramachandrapuram constituency on Friday.
“I am trying to extend the necessary support to more toddy tappers in my constituency in the coming days,” he added.
