Bengaluru: It is true that selling Neera is not illegal at present however, if you sell Neera as toddy or without a license, then you may land in jail. Yes, the state government is all set to take stringent action against the sale of Neera.
Neera can effectively stop the spread of disease among coconut trees and can also be a source of income for the farmers. The government has published new policies in the state gazette in support of Neera. Those selling Neera without permission or converting it to toddy, may have to face a jail time of 6 months.
The Excise Department will grant license only if there are a minimum of 5 fertile coconut trees to for extraction. For one year (till March 31) farmers have to pay Rs 1,000 per tree, after which they need only pay Rs10 for each tree.
Violations of the rules will result in a cancellation of the license. For the first five violations, there will be a fine of Rs 5,000 any additional violations will be punished with a 6 months jail term along with a Rs 10,000 fine, it is said.
To extract Neera from coconut trees, having experience is a must. The horticulture department has trained many for this purpose. Only those who have been trained can extract Neera, any others caught doing so will get their license cancelled.
Registered Coconut Producers’ Company (CPC) and Farmer Productions’ Organisations (FPO) can get a license for value-added products. Neera can be used to produce syrup, honey, jaggery, chocolate, sugar and other products. Meanwhile, the government has warned against the misuse of the license by the public or by officials.
