‘Neera’ tickles the taste buds of Keralites, does roaring business

Within an year of its commercial launch, Neera, Kerala’s own brand of non-alcoholic sweet drink from the coconut palms, has become an instant hit with the people. Neera kiosks and Neera vending machines, wherever they are set up, report brisk sales. The product vanishes from the sales counter within a few hours of replenishment.

Neera sales have got further boost after the ban on liquor bars in Kerala, as many people gulp it down mistaking it for toddy, although Neera is a non-alcoholic health drink. 173 federations that were given licenses for the production of Neera across the state could reportedly make a revenue of Rs 3 crore within three months of its production.

Neera is sweet, oyster white in colour, translucent, high in nutritional value, and susceptible to natural fermentation at ambient temperature within a few hours of extraction. Once fermented, Neera becomes toddy. The drink is popular on account of its delicious taste and agreeable flavor. Neera extraction is generally done before sunrise. Treated Neera can be preserved in cans up to 2 months at room temperature.

It is a rich source of proteins, vitamin C, phosphorous, calcium and iron. A diverse range of by-products such as palm jaggery, palm honey, palm sugar, ice cream, toffee and coconut flower syrup are madae from Neera.

The state Government has given sanction for extracting Neera to the Coconut Development Board, Kerala Agriculture University , State Beverages Corporation , coconut producers societies , coconut producers’ federations, jaggery producers and Kerala Agro-Industries Corporation.

At present, Neera, priced at Rs 25 per glass of 200 ml, is available only in select outlets and the supply is far short of demand. Soon the people of the state will get Neera at their home places as the state Government has ordered the local body institutions in the state to provide assistance for the marketing of Neera and its value-added processed products in their territories.

With the new order, the Coconut Producers Companies registered with the Coconut Development Board can install the Neera vending machines in all the three-tier panchayats, municipalities, and Corporations. In view of its soaring popularity, the state Government has decided to give license for commercial production of Neera to whosoever applies for it.

The coconut sector in Kerala is hit hard by fluctuating prices, rising incidence of crop diseases, shortage of coconut pluckers etc. In most places, no harvesting is done for months together due to labour shortage.

There is immense scope for development of Neera and its by-products as Kerala is estimated to have 18 crore coconut palms. Production of Neera does not entail much investment. It requires neither mechanical crushing, as in the case of sugarcane, nor leaching, like beet-root; it is obtained by slicing the spathes of the coconut, sago, and Palmyra palm, and scraping the tender-most part, just below the crown.

The Coconut Development Board has developed technology with the help of research institutions such as Central Food Technological Research Institute for Neera extraction, which is shared with the farmers. Coconut farmers, who are now mostly dependent on coconut oil and copra for their livelihood, can earn up to Rs 1,500 per palm a month from Neera, which is a big deal.

Well, Neera is all set to revolutionise the ailing coconut sector in Kerala, a state named after the coconut tree.

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