KOCHI: fter years of dwindling production, neera, the nutritious, unfermented sap sourced from the flower of coconut palms, is experiencing a renewed surge in demand in Kerala. While the state, a pioneer in neera production, saw output plummet after 2018 due to floods, climate change, and Covid, neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka capitalised on growing consumer preference for healthy, natural beverages.
However, there is now hope for neera lovers in Kerala with renewed interest among entrepreneurs and coconut farmers for the produce.
“While the Palakkad Coconut Producer Co Ltd (PCPCL) continues to operate successfully, another farmer-owned company focusing on value-added coconut products, including neera, has started functioning in Thrissur. Furthermore, a biotechnology firm in Kalamassery, Kochi has developed an energy drink — Energy Neer — from neera,” said Deepthi Nair S, director (marketing), Coconut Development Board, Kochi.
The Thrissur Coconut Producer Co Ltd (TCPCL), which was formed a year back, focusses on the cococonut-based energy drink and is all set to expand its operations.
“We started on a small scale, mostly limited to Thrissur. Now that we’re finding a good market for neera, thanks to consumers turning health conscious, we are set to expand our operations. We’ll roll out the product in other districts, besides Thrissur and Ernakulam, and also plan to export the produce at a later stage. For that we’ve planned to increase production from the current 100 litres a day to 1,000 litres in the next one year,” Vinayan E V, chairman of TCPCL, told TNIE.
Consumer preference for natural products has also resulted in demand for tender coconut water, which is being packaged and shipped to north Indian states in large quantities.
“Around 200 truckloads from Pollachi and 150 from Madurai — each truck with 10,000 to 12,000 tender coconuts — are transported daily. Consumers have become health conscious and demand for natural products are up,” Deepthi said.
‘Hub’ for neera
Set up over over a decade ago, the neera shop at Vyttila Mobility Hub was one of the first exclusive outlets in the state. And while most other outlets shut shop, it continues to function profitably.
“PCPCL started the outlet when the hub was launched. It has a committed clientele. Besides, it is also popular with passengers,” Deepthi said.
PCPCL carries out storage, collection, transport of the product under four degrees Celsius using special cold storage boxes designed by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI).
“We sell six-seven packets of neera a day, each packet holding five litres. We have regular customers interested in its energising properties,” a sales boy said. A glass of neera costs Rs 65 after its price was hiked three months ago.
‘THEY LEARNED FROM OUR MISTAKES’
“We were the first movers in the sector. We faced a lot of hurdles which resulted in dwindling production. But Tamil Nadu and Karnataka learned from our experience and avoided the mistakes. Moreover, they benefitted from having overcome the period of crisis. The Global Coconut Producing Co Ltd in Tiruppur is a classic example. Our people invested in equipment, packaging, etc., and invested provided capital. They learned from our mistakes,” said Coconut Development Board director (marketing) Deepthi.