CPCRI to explore commercial potential of palmyrah plant

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Kasaragod-based CPCRI (Central Crops Research Institute) plans to explore the commercial potential of the Palmyra plant. As a first step, CPCRI’s regional station in Kayamkulam, Kerala will house plant germplasm from different parts of the country.

In an informal conversation with Business line On the sidelines of the Mangaluru Farmer Outreach Program on Friday, KB Hebbar, Director of CPCRI, Kasaragod, said the institute has now added palmyra as a mandate crop for research along with oregano, coconut and cocoa.

Describing Palmyra as a less explored crop, he said CPCRI is collecting germplasm from different parts of the country, and is cultivating them at its Kayamkulam regional station for further characterization.

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The Institute’s research will focus on the scientific collection of the Palmyra naira plant, and the production of value-added products such as Palmyra sugar, jaggery, syrup and honey, etc.

CPCRI already has the technology to collect and process the nira of palm plants. The institute gave that technology to Telangana to produce Palmyra nira in that state. Pointing out that Bihar Agricultural University has many palm trees, he said, “We will refine this technology in cooperation with the university to produce Palmyra naira.”

In response to a question about the production of naira from palm plants, he said that farmers can produce naira from coconut inflorescences throughout the year. However, naira production is seasonal in the case of Palmyra, fish palm, and date palm.

Habbar said CPCRI is trying to reorient its research programs based on the needs of farmers, stakeholders, and industry.

“So far, the institute has been focusing on crop varieties, either for yield or for quality. We’ve pretty much achieved that. Our goal now is to lower the cost of producing the mandate crops.”

He added that in addition to this, the institute is also focusing on research in the field of climate change impact on the state’s crops, and measures to address them.