• PAGE ONE
• INDEX
• HOME

Coke, Pepsi face coconut water revolution

Rasheeda Bhagat

THIRUVAMPADY, Kerala, Dec. 5

IN an interesting offshoot of the `boycott palm oil' drive in some districts of North Kerala, over 4,000 college students in this town in Kozhikode district are now saying ``No thank you'' to Coke, Pepsi and other bottled drinks.

In an interaction with Business Line, final-year B.Com students of the National and Phoenix College confirmed their resolve not to consume bottled drinks, and settle instead for tender coconut water, ``which is cheaper and healthier''.

``It was easy for these youngsters to take such an oath because almost all of them are the children of farmers and have seen their family incomes nose-dive thanks to the crash in coconut oil prices. This had happened because people had started preferring the much cheaper palm oil over coconut oil,'' says Rev. Antony Kozhuvanal, vicar of the local parish.

``Yes, our families have indeed suffered a lot because of the steep fall in coconut prices, and we are keeping our promise of not buying these drinks,'' says B.Com student Mushroor.

A war against MNCs has just been declared in this region. As Father Kozhuvanal, who is also the Director of the Karshaka Munneta Samiti (Progressive Farmers' Organisation) points out, a coconut, which cost Rs 7 a few years ago, now costs Rs 2.

``And even at Rs 2 there are no takers. Thanks to our two-month-old struggle, in all the hotels and homes of this area, palm oil is out and only coconut oil is being used. Now we want to educate and motivate people to give up soaps and toothpastes manufa ctured by MNCs and go in for locally made products,'' he says.

The vicar says, unequivocally, ``We will see that toothpastes like Colgate and Pepsodent make an exit from our shops and people use locally made tooth powder which costs hardly Rs 2. Made from neem and mango leaves and other medicinal plants, this is muc h healthier,'' he says.

The drive is clearly towards swadeshi and self-sufficiency. Training is in full swing to produce bars of soap using coconut oil as the main ingredient and perfumed by lemon grass or sandalwood oil.

Apart from housewives, students of the local Home Science College are also being trained. To begin with, the parish has become the marketing centre. The Sunday sermon, which is attended by 1,500-2,000 people, has become a marketing occasion. Women buy an d sell soap costing only Rs 4 for a bar of 85 gm every Sunday.

But the marketplace is clearly in a dilemma. Throwing out palm oil was easier, it appears. K.E. Thomas, a grocer, has all the well-known soap brands prominently displayed at his store. But sales are dull; he ascribes this to economic recession.

While the elderly have had no problem in switching over to unbranded soap, the youngsters are clearly torn between the lure of the marketplace and the swadeshi philosophy. Saying no to Pepsi, Coke and the like was easier as there was a cheaper and equall y refreshing alternative in tender coconut water.

Sheena, a B.Com student, admits that finding her brand of Lux is becoming difficult in local shops. Her friends use Medimix and promise to switch over to home-made soap when it becomes more visible.

The problem is hard-sell and glamorous TV ads. But the parish priest is not daunted. ``We will next boycott the TV channels which advertise either these drinks, soaps or toothpastes,'' he says vehemently.