Mounesh Vishwakarma
Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Mar 15: The chief minister's announcement during the presentation of state budget about making suitable ammendments to the excise act to provide for tapping of Neera (palm nectar) from coconut trees has come as a boon for coconut growers.

This measure, in all likelihood, will enable the only Neera processing unit that had been opened at Thumbe to expand its activities all over the state.

The activity of toddy tapping from palm trees, production of toddy, and its sale are covered by the excise act. In the past, same rules also had been applicable in case of tapping of Neera. As a particular community by custom entirely depended on toddy tapping for a living in the twin districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, exemption from the rules had been given for these two districts. There was no provision for Neera tapping in other districts of the state. Therefore, there had been persistent demand for drawing up an exhaustive Neera policy in tune with the ones prevailing in Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. The announcement made in the budget has met this long-standing demand, and made the coconut growers a happy lot.

When the BJP government was in office, an announcement about setting aside one crore rupees for opening of Neera processing unit had been made, and the unit had begun functioning in Thumbe in March 2012. Thereafter, the unit appeared to be in hibernation, before beginning to work again recently after affecting some technical modifications. The unit had to be entirely dependent on the twin districts and Kerala for Neera tapping and sale. As such, the unit was jointly run by Coconut Development Board of the department of horticulture, and Palakkad Coconut Growers Company in Kerala on experimental basis.

There have been demands from coconut growers to keep Neera outside the purview of excise act. During his visit to this unit, Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister, Ramanath Rai, had also spoken about efforts being made to bring into force a Neera policy. With the present announcement of the government, decks have been cleared for the opening of Neera units in all districts of the state.