New Delhi
With barely a week to go until the closing of the India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, the co-operative department of Kerala has decided to boost its product portfolio at the state pavilion stalls to meet the increasing demand of the local consumers.
Launching new products made by various primary cooperative societies, Rajya Sabha Member A.A. Rahim said Kerala’s unique products have a lot of marketing potential in Delhi and the neighbouring states, and the producers should explore various options to tap this potential. IITF offers a great platform for local manufacturers to showcase their items but a lot has to be done in this direction, he said.
The entrepreneurs who came to Delhi with the newer products also expressed their views. Every year, a huge number of people visit the trade fair to buy original Kerala spices. But unique products are not sufficiently available to meet their demand. There should be a permanent, common centre for selling Kerala products in Delhi as the national capital region is a major marketplace for the products of other states, they said.
The newly-launched products include coconut chips from the Ancharakandi Farmers Cooperative Bank, hair oil from the North Malabar District Cooperative Marketing Society, pokali-dried shrimp prepared by the Pallikkal Service Co-operative Bank, coconut oil from the Kattoor Service Cooperative Bank, and coconut milk produced by the Eramala Service Cooperative Bank.
The co-op stalls are a big hit among the visitors and, currently, the products manufactured by 24 co-operative societies are displayed there. They include Pokkali rice, Marayoor jaggery, forest honey, jackfruit pulp, virgin coconut oil, pepper powder, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, chilly powder, chicken masala, meat masala, sambar powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, lemongrass oil, masala tapioca, banana vacuum fry, payasam mix, dried rice, eucalyptus, green tea, tea powder, ginger coffee and roasted coffee beans.
Apart from the two co-operative stalls, Marketfed (Kerala State Co-operative Marketing Federation) stall is also seeing huge footfall. The co-operative agency is one of the affiliated members of NAFED. It procures and sells commodities such as spices, cashew, coconut, copra, coconut oil, jaggery, sugar, black raisins, maize, Guntur dry chillies, and herbs in the domestic as well as upcountry markets for more than five decades. Marketfed procures quality products at fair price through its depots, which ultimately benefit the farmers. It caters to the consumer markets as well.
