The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Distilleries are caught in a time warp

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Thursday, Jul 12, 2007
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Distilleries are caught in a time warp

Sib Kumar Das

Fear of loss hits modernisation

Four blocks of Ganjam account for 90 pc kewra plantations
Some minor innovations came around 100 years

—Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Dependable: The age-old traditional way of Kewra rooh extraction is still practised in distilleries of Ganjam district.

BERHAMPUR: Kewra distilleries in Ganjam district still use more than a century-old distillation technique despite technical advancement all around.

Four blocks of Ganjam district account for 90 per cent of kewra plantations in the country. The essential oil extracted from kewra flowers is highly expensive priced at more than Rs. 2.5 lakhs per litre.

There are around 160 kewra distillation units in Ganjam district. All of them use the traditional distillation process that uses firewood as fuel, large pots of copper and pipes made of bamboo and “multani mitti” as sealing agent. Some minor innovations had come in this process around 100 years ago when the distillers had started using copper pots instead of earthen ones.

According to B.B. Mishra, scientific assistant at the technological support centre for kewra industries of the Central Government in the city, in the recent past the Regional Research Laboratory had devised a distillation plant using stainless steel components for kewra distillation. But due to practical difficulties only one unit could be established in the district. But it also did not work properly.

Smell matters

Although this new distillation unit could extract more ‘Rooh’ or the distilled essential oil from kewra flowers, the stainless steel pipes used in the new unit gave a different smell to the produce. Mr. Mishra says in their laboratories through distillation is done using glass apparatus, they are also able to extract greater quantity of ‘Rooh’.

But ‘Rooh’ extracted using pipes of different materials like bamboo, stainless steel and glass, although all of these are non-reactive give different odours to the procured ‘Rooh.’

The ‘Rooh’ produced at traditional distilleries using bamboo pipes has a distinct woody smell. Since generations people around the world are acquainted with this woody smell kewra extract.

It is quite impossible to change the taste of consumers who find the smell of kewra extract distilled through modern mediums unacceptable.

Till the scientists come up with a new distillation unit that uses traditional bamboo pipes and other basic components of the traditional process the kewra distillation unit would have to use the age-old technique.

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