Pierce a tender coconut and drink the juice without breaking the nut. Yes. That is a possibility with small hand-held instrument. The instrument “tender coconut opener” was the centre of attraction for many visitors at the Krishi Mela organised by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) at Vitla on Saturday. It was difficult for many to beat the temptation to buy it.
The exhibitor Ramesh Bhat said that the instrument was made of stainless steel and was blunt free. “One can purchase a tender coconut and directly pierce it by applying a little pressure on it. If the nut is hard, you can rotate the instrument clock-wise. Then the instrument will double up as your straw as well,” he said
Mr. Bhat pointed out that conventionally tender coconut sellers chop a part of the nut with a sharp sickle or an iron chopper. Many people did not use a straw to drink water and instead consumed it directly.
The seller would then break the nut using the same sickle or chopper. This process could cause allergy. “Drinking the water directly by using the latest instrument is hygienic and safe,” he said. The exhibitor was selling a piece for Rs. 100.
Cashew varieties
Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Ullal, had displayed information about its cashew varieties. The latest variety released for coastal Karnataka is Priyanka in 2013.
The average yield of a five-year tree is 18 kg to 23 kg. The plant will grow to height of up to six metres and has a bold nut with big kernel.
The cashew hybrid will flower in January and cashew can be harvested in February and March. The CPCRI had exhibited various coconut varieties released by it and the latest varieties released in 2013. Kalpa Prathiba yielded 120 nuts per palm per year and Kalpa Mitra 100-130 nuts. The Kalpa Raksha variety which was purely meant for drinking purpose (as tender coconut) yielded 400-500 nuts. Its nuts were round in shape.
The exhibition had exhibitors exhibiting seeds, arecanut scaling equipment, value added products of different fruits, tissue-cultured banana saplings etc.
