Tamil Nadu

“Remove toddy from alcohol list”

MADURAI: The government should lift the ban on toddy tapping and remove it from the list of alcoholic liquor and announce it as a part of our food culture, said S Nallasamy, Field Coordinator, Tamil Nadu Toddy Movement.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, he said that toddy would be tapped all over Tamil Nadu on January 21 and wanted the government to lift the ban and help tappers export toddy to earn foreign exchange or enforce total prohibition Under Section 47 of the Constitution.

Stating that the ‘swadeshi’ product (toddy) had only 4.5 per cent of alcohol against 42.8 per cent found in Indian Made Foreign Liquor, Mr. Nallasamy questioned the rationale behind the State Government’s imposition of ban on toddy. He also said that curd, buttermilk, fruit juice, water-soaked rice and honey did have a substantial amount of alcohol content like that of toddy. Toddy was also like everyday food.

Mr. Nallasamy said that every palm tree was a production house which gave so many products and was a cultural and livelihood right of the farming community. He further added that the ban, which came into effect on January 1, 1987, was a decision borne out of inefficient administration than anything else.

When toddy tapping was permitted in neighbouring States such as Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Puducherry and the governments there had successfully managed to prevent adulteration, why the Tamil Nadu Government could not do the same here, he wondered.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu