Kerala chutney powder's demand rising abroad

Kochi, Oct 5 The export of Kerala's traditional coconut chutney powder is on the rise. For the last fiscal, it has touched $85,949 value or about Rs.56 lakh, the Coconut Development Board (CDB) says.

The figures for coconut chutney exports have been constantly rising over the past few fiscals, a report prepared by the CDB shows.

From an export worth Rs.41.57 lakh in 2012-13, the chutney is expected to fetch Rs.67 lakh by the end of this calendar year, a quarter before the fiscal ends.

The CDB report, prepared by Deepthi Vijayan, shows the United Arab Emirates leads in Kerala coconut chutney's imports at a total of $33,923, followed by the US at $17,501. The bulk of the export was to the Middle East countries, where a lot of Kerala-origin people live.

The coconut chutney powder is a combination of roasted, grated coconut, roasted dals and spices and can be prepared from coconut milk residue, desiccated coconut or dry coconut.

It is rich in protein and fibre and usually served with rice or idli or dosa.

"This product has high potential in terms of innovation, traditionalism and value addition with medium investments. The exporters can make use of it," Vijayan said.