Once upon a time, in villages people used to have goats. The goat milk was sold to teashops and that was a good income, especially to housewives who used to feed goats with grass and fallen jack leaves. To feed the goats, even water found wasted after washing rice for cooking was collected. That was called Kaadi in Tamil and Malayalam. Most people who eat rice as staple food collected the water called kanji water and gave it to goats.
These days I don't hear about anyone selling goat milk. A friend of mine tried to enter goat farm business in a big way. Had 400 young ones, each at 1500 rupees. ($30). It takes a year to fatten them and sell at 4000 rupees ($80). He had to buy fodder which cost Rs 13 every day. No need to say, that his business was a flop. No need to do any guess work, feeding costs added up to 4745 which is more than total sale price.
Another gentleman as 40 goats, but spends nothing on fodder. Near his farm, there is an open area with lots of grass. Nothing to pay for grass. However he has spent money on a goats herd and a shed. The manpower costs about Rs. 3000 per month. Good business, the joker in the pack is fodder. If there is ground for grazing goats, well and good, go ahead with goat business.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Coconuts in Kerala
Once up on a time, say some fifty years ago, many were considered rich if they had one or two acres of coconut farm.
Farming went on like this. During rainly season the saplings are planted, and for the six long season of rain, the plants grow and stabilise with roots.
Because of the low water table, no further irrigation is required. Five years or so, later, go back to the trees, and pluck the coconuts, every other months. No need to work on land, nature took care of everything. Some "greedy" people used to work on land, in the sense , paid workers to loosen the sand around trees just before rains, to improve percolation, and to reduce water runoff.
Because of the monoculture, soil is devoid of required nutrients, and production per tree is drastically reduced. The price of coconut has remained still, while inflation has gallopped.
Result, noone gets any money out of coconut, tree climbers are hard to find, and their wages are more than that of graduates.
Trees are ignored and so are coconuts.
What I remember is that fifteen years ago, a coconut cost 6 ruppes , now it is just 9 rupees. A ripe mango costs about Rs. 20 these days. (50 ruppes make a US Dollar)
Recently it was found that tender (young coconuts, which has lots of water, but hardly any edible kernal) fetches more money than ripe coconut with kernal that that could be eaten or dried to produce coconut oil.
More on labour costs, for climbing on coconut trees.
Palaghat, or Palakad Rs 10 (20 cents)
Cross over to Tamil Nadu Rs 5 ( 10 US cents)
Cochin city area Rs 25 or ( 50 cents).
Price of coconut is the same all over. in Cochin nobody makes inputs into farm, just because there are coconuts on the farm, one needs a climber to bring them down.
Coconut toddy tapping revenue in Tamil nadu and Kerala
Tamil Nadu doe not permit tapping coconuts for toddy. Toddy is a sap produced by hurting, and cutting coconut flower buds before they open. A mature coconut flower bud might be just about two to three feet long before it opens. At the tip, slice off the top, say one half inch piece, the bud starts to bleed. It is sort of white or rather gum coloured sap, not as thick though. A claypot is kept on the bleeding coconut flower bud. Few litres of sap, or toddy would be available for collection after eight hours.
Coconut palm toddy is collected twice a day, Early in the morning and in the evening. The stuff as such is sweet and delicious. Contains a great deal of natural sugar. Also natural yeast! The yeast in toddy works on it, and produces alcahol and that makes it an alcaholic beverage. As alcahol content increases in the coconut toddy, it turns slightly sourish. It is no more palatable, but the drinkers asks for the sour version.
Shops that sell coconut toddy do not throw their unsolf sour smelling left overs. They keep it for a while in pots, and after two months sell it as vinegar. (Chorukka in local language)
Rent for a palm good for toddy tapping is 275 ruppes a month. (5.5 us dollars)
Yesterday, bought a coconut for Rs. 10. Tender coconut, or young coconut costs Rs. 15. The expensive one gives only water.
Farming went on like this. During rainly season the saplings are planted, and for the six long season of rain, the plants grow and stabilise with roots.
Because of the low water table, no further irrigation is required. Five years or so, later, go back to the trees, and pluck the coconuts, every other months. No need to work on land, nature took care of everything. Some "greedy" people used to work on land, in the sense , paid workers to loosen the sand around trees just before rains, to improve percolation, and to reduce water runoff.
Because of the monoculture, soil is devoid of required nutrients, and production per tree is drastically reduced. The price of coconut has remained still, while inflation has gallopped.
Result, noone gets any money out of coconut, tree climbers are hard to find, and their wages are more than that of graduates.
Trees are ignored and so are coconuts.
What I remember is that fifteen years ago, a coconut cost 6 ruppes , now it is just 9 rupees. A ripe mango costs about Rs. 20 these days. (50 ruppes make a US Dollar)
Recently it was found that tender (young coconuts, which has lots of water, but hardly any edible kernal) fetches more money than ripe coconut with kernal that that could be eaten or dried to produce coconut oil.
More on labour costs, for climbing on coconut trees.
Palaghat, or Palakad Rs 10 (20 cents)
Cross over to Tamil Nadu Rs 5 ( 10 US cents)
Cochin city area Rs 25 or ( 50 cents).
Price of coconut is the same all over. in Cochin nobody makes inputs into farm, just because there are coconuts on the farm, one needs a climber to bring them down.
Coconut toddy tapping revenue in Tamil nadu and Kerala
Tamil Nadu doe not permit tapping coconuts for toddy. Toddy is a sap produced by hurting, and cutting coconut flower buds before they open. A mature coconut flower bud might be just about two to three feet long before it opens. At the tip, slice off the top, say one half inch piece, the bud starts to bleed. It is sort of white or rather gum coloured sap, not as thick though. A claypot is kept on the bleeding coconut flower bud. Few litres of sap, or toddy would be available for collection after eight hours.
Coconut palm toddy is collected twice a day, Early in the morning and in the evening. The stuff as such is sweet and delicious. Contains a great deal of natural sugar. Also natural yeast! The yeast in toddy works on it, and produces alcahol and that makes it an alcaholic beverage. As alcahol content increases in the coconut toddy, it turns slightly sourish. It is no more palatable, but the drinkers asks for the sour version.
Shops that sell coconut toddy do not throw their unsolf sour smelling left overs. They keep it for a while in pots, and after two months sell it as vinegar. (Chorukka in local language)
Rent for a palm good for toddy tapping is 275 ruppes a month. (5.5 us dollars)
Yesterday, bought a coconut for Rs. 10. Tender coconut, or young coconut costs Rs. 15. The expensive one gives only water.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)