Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA Errabelli Dayakar Rao, as part of his annual charity work, distributed stumpy palm trees to the Goud community.
Mr. Dayakar Rao’s daughter Preeti and son Prem Rao donated ₹10 lakh each and Mr. Rao added ₹2 lakh to buy over 15,000 stumpy palm (locally known as giraka thati chettu ) from Rajahmundry and Kerala nurseries. Each of the Gouda family was given two trees. He donated 100 trees to Gouda Sangham in Palakurthy town.
Speaking to The Hindu , Gouda Sangham president K. Naganna said their society has a 2.5-acre land in which they planted 100 stumpy palm trees.
According to him, these trees grow to a height of less than 20 ft and low risk in tapping unlike other palm trees that grow over 40 feet. “These stumpy palm yields 50 litres of toddy as against the 20 litres of other palm tree. The consumption of this toddy is healthy as it is very nutritious according to Ayurveda doctors,” he said.
The stumpy palm tree starts to yield within three to five years and generates an average of ₹500 per day for four months in a year.
Stocks exhausted
Having learnt the idea, ruling party leaders in Warangal rural and Nalgonda districts were trying to replicate the same. But the trees were not available in nurseries now due to the sudden demand. Mr. Dayakar Rao said he procured six truck loads of trees exhausting all the stock for his constituency.
“Every year my family spends about ₹20 to ₹30 lakh for charity activities. I usually conduct health camps bringing the best doctors and distribute free medicines. But this year, I wanted to create income generating work and hence distributing these stumpy palm trees,” he said.
Mr. Naganna said their society members attended special training programmes held exclusively to their community at Rampachodavaram and Kerala.
The traditional toddy tappers learnt making neera and other products from the palm toddy and palm tree.
He said the community with a population of 40,000 in Palakurthy constituency were happy with the gesture of the MLA.
