Apart from the importance of copra and coconut oil which is widely used in the manufacture of soaps, hair oil, cosmetics and other value-added & industrial products, its husk is a source of fibre which supports a sizable coir industry. The tender nut supplies coconut water, a popular thirst quencher of health and hygienic value. The tender coconut is witnessing a surge in sales in the country.
Neera
Neera is a delicious natural non-alcoholic beverage, extracted from the spathe or the immature flower spike of coconut trees. It is sweet and high in nutritional value. Neera is fast becoming a popular drink. It contains acids like ascorbic acid (a form of vitamin C), nicotinic acid (Vitamin B3 and vitamin PP) and riboflavin (vitamin B2). Its BRIX level is 16 [sugars] compared to 12 in sugarcane juice. Neera has a low glycemic count at 35 compared to cane sugar or sugarcane juice that has a glycemic count of 80.
Virgin Coconut Oil
Scope for Coconut Cultivation and its National Importance
Coconut is grown in more than 90 countries of the world and Indonesia, Philippines, India are the major producing countries of the world. Coconut is grown in more than 20.88 lakh ha in the country with an estimated 22167.45 million nuts during 2015-16 with an average productivity of 10614 nuts per ha. Traditional areas of coconut in India are the states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Goa, West Bengal, Pondicherry, Maharashtra and Islands of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar. However, several states like Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh have emerged as non-traditional areas for the cultivation of coconut.
Very very educational many thanx for your elaborate description….Raheem