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Tender coconut reigns
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With colas in the dock, tender coconut water has once again become a popular drink.
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TENDER COCONUT water is back in favour. This wholesome, nutritious drink has suddenly turned leader in the keenly competitive soft drink market too. Even before the ongoing `cola' storm and the shocking revelations of Centre for Science and Environment that upset the soft drink market, tender coconut water was the most preferred drink of the city folks.
Nearly ten years back there were only few outlets to sell this Nature's own drink in Kochi. And they primarily looked towards the sick as potential customers, for it was often prescribed as a nutritional drink. The efforts of the Coconut Development Board, which set up around 20 `Elaneer Pandals' in Kochi city to promote this drink paid dividends. Now there are around hundred outlets, spread all over the city, selling this very popular drink.
When Mr. Vinod opened an outlet, with the assistance of the Board, at Kadvanthara, he was the only one in the business there. Now there are at least 10 outlets thriving in the locality. Tender coconut water is available in every nook and corner of the city. It is sold not just at the exclusive outlets, by footpath vendors, but almost every fruit stall, cool drink parlours, restaurants and even in the star hotels serve this drink.
Quite naturally there is stiff competition in this fast growing market, with new sellers entering the field everyday. "The demand is always on the increase but not our sales, as more and more sellers emerge everyday," says Mr. Sebastian, an exclusive seller of this popular soft drink.
On an average, the exclusive stalls sell around one hundred tender coconuts daily. And like any of the soft drinks the sale of this drink rises and dips depending on the weather conditions.
Around 40 per cent of the supply of tender coconuts is from neighbouring States, especially Tamil Nadu, though Kochi depends a great deal for its supply on Palakkad. Agriculturists now realise the potential demand for coconut, resulting in the emergence of a large number of coconut plantations. But once the supply exceeds the demand, the price of this drink is expected to fall as per the market conventions and the demand-supply theory.
Many of the city dwellers feel that the tender coconut water should not cost Rs. 10. "The business has become very lucrative and that is why lot of vendors are opening their shops," asserts Paul Sudhakar, an employee of the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. "In Kolkata city it costs only Rs. 4 and in the rural areas of this State it is available even for even Rs. 3," informs Sunil Raj Mathew. "Till last year most of the vendors were selling it here for Rs. 8 here, but they have hiked the prices and the rate has now come to stay at Rs. 10," Mr. Mathew adds.
In tune with the changing times, `the product' has also undergone many changes. It is now available in tetra packs and cans, but is still able to retain its medicinal and nutritional values. Artificially packed tender coconut water is fast gaining popularity in all the metros. There are five firms who market this on a large scale. Competition leads to innovation and this is true in the case of this soft drink also.
"There was a time when we used to sell more than thousand tender coconuts every day. But since there are so many sellers in the city now, the sales has come down and the profit too. We now sell only around 50 a day and get only a rupee per coconut as our share since the price has gone up in the wholesale market," says Selvan, a native of Chennai, who sells tender coconuts near the Shenoy's Junction.
Today the tender coconut water has turned the city's favourite drink. One outlet, `Sowrabhya,' on the busy Sahodaran Ayyappan Road, which sells different kinds of fruit drinks, has one made purely out of natural tender coconut, its water and tender kernel, that is a hot favourite among its customers. Many of those who frequent this stall prefer this drink to other substitutes like fresh juice or milk shakes. And it costs only Rs. 10 for a glass.
In fact, more and more doctors now recommend tender coconut drink for many of their patients. It is found to be effective in urinary ailments and also recommended as a very good substitute for saline glucose. This drink helps to keep the body cool and applying it on the skin helps prevent boils during the prickly heat of the summer. It is also used to help remove the rashes caused by small pox, chicken pox and measles. It is also considered a close substitute for blood plasma since it is sterile, cool, easily absorbed by the body and does not destroy red blood cells. To quote Morton Satin, Chief of Food and Agricultural Organisation's Agricultural Industries and Post Harvest Management Service: "It is a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It is the fluid of life, so to speak."
T.K.S
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
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