The State Government has given its final clearance for production and distribution of 'Neera', a non-alcoholic sweet drink tapped from coconut trees, by the Kerala Agricultura University, its Vice-Chancellor Dr P Rajendran said today.
There were 150 million coconut trees in the state and even if 10 per cent of them were brought under Neera tapping, it would bring coipous revenues to the exchequer and farmers, he told reporters here.
He said a minimum 1.5 litre of Neera could be tapped per coconut tree per day. Neera produced and processed by the KAU would be sold at Rs 25 per 200 ml bottle.
Rajendran said that the State Government had granted Rs 5.4 crore for setting up three units for processing tapped Neera at Thiruvananthapurm, Thrissur and Kasargode.
