With mercury continuing to sore high in the western districts, tasty and delicious palmyra fruits (nongu) are in good demand in the city along with tender coconuts, water melon, and fresh fruit juice.
Nongu fruit is said to be packed with minerals and is considered as one of the best fruits with cooling effect.
No doubt, the residents of the city make a beeline to the makeshift stalls on the roadsides at Junction, Salem Steel Plant road, Junction high road, Suramangalam main road, Omalur high road; Meyyanur main road; near the new and old bus stands; Agraharam streets etc selling nongu.
The nongu price has remained stable in Salem city and also in other parts of the district. Four nongu fruits are priced at Rs. 10 across the district.
Omalur and Taramangalam belts have a large number of palyra trees and the summer months prove a revenue fetching season for the farmers.
Palmyra trees are found abundant in Muthunayakkanpatti; Thindamangalam, Sikkanampatti; Karuvalli; Sinnappampatti; Kozhikattanoor; Mookanur; Thasanur; Nallur villages on the Omalur and Taramangalam belts on the banks of river Vellar.
The nongu season commences in March and extends till June and the business provides good source of revenue to the farmers and farm workers. “As this business fetches good revenue, I opted out of my regular work and has been marketing nongu after procuring the same from Muthunayakkanpatti village”, says M. Palani, who runs a roadside stall at Koranguchavadi.
The demand for this delicious fruit could be gauged from the fact that over Rs. 30,000 worth business is done every day in the city alone. A majority of the people prefer taking the nongu instantly as the fruit will become hard by the time it is taken home.
The fruit is also mixed with water, sugar, ice etc to get a tasty nongu ice cream and nongu fruit shakes.
A large quantity of palmyra fruits are being sent to Bengaluru from Omalur town. These fruits, besides being sold for consumption, are used for making value added products like facial cream etc, says S. Shanavaz, a trader of Omalur.
