The Problems Associated With Processing

      Mainly in the study areca, problems related to processing aspect begins before the harvest and ends before it is marketed. Commercial processing will be done by the intermediaries involved in the secondary market. The methods of preparation of nuts to be sold in the market, is the subject matter of processing. The major issues related to processing aspect in the Dist. comprised the following elements.

1.    HARVESTING: Besides climate conditions, the time of harvesting arecanut is determined the quality of nuts to be prepared. When red variety nuts are to be prepared, it is plucked while the husk is still green or at the tender stage. In case of matured nuts, the color of the husk indicates the stage of maturity. The bunches are plucked when the colour of the husk becomes pinkish red. When matured nuts are plucked, it could be used for preparing white variety (‘Chali’). By October end, ripening of nut starts and it lasts up to the end of January, in case of coastal region of the Dist. However, in Malnadu region, this period is from November end to February end.

2.    PLUCKING: The bunches of arecanut appear near the top close to leaves. Climbing up an area palm and plucking the bunches is considered to be a special art and techniques. Only specialized and experienced labours can perform this task. One climber can deal with around 300 to 400 areca trees in a day. Generally the climber takes with him a long rope and after cutting the bunch smoothly keeps the bunch on the rope from the top, and lets it come down, where another person holds the rope and collects the bunch coming down. Long bamboo hook is often used to draw the palms together for cutting the bunches without climbing one tree, he bends the other tree with the help of bamboo hook and leaps on it and similarly removes the bunches from the other trees to which he has access. Generally it is a practice that, climber will test the nuts whether it has matured or nit before cutting the bunches. He is called as ‘konegowda’ in local language.

3.    DEHUSKING : The next process is that of husking and curing. Trained women coolies are employed for husking, which they do it with the help of ironed sharp knife which is fixed on wooden piece. In case of tendered nuts, husking process is taken soon after the harvest within 4 days. If it is delayed quality will suffer. When white variety is to be prepared, husking will be carried after drying it for 35 to 45 days under the sun. These days farmers are facing problem of getting specialized labors for this work. Experienced labor can get 4000 nuts dehusked per day. Wage rate is generally fixed on the number of nuts husked in thousands. For the time being, farmers are spending about 10 to 15 Rs for husking 1000 nuts. Generally, they face the problem of getting skilled labors to get this work done right in time. Further, climate variations during the season will worsen the problem of curing.

4.    BOILING : The tender nuts are boiled soon after the husking in a copper vessel for about a couple of hours. While boiling whole nuts, the most common test used in the Dist. is that when the nuts loosen the eye, it is supposed to be fully boiled. In order to improve the color and the quality of the Kernels various organic and inorganic ingredients such as barks of teak tree, lime, batel leaf, oils etc., are added to the water while boiling. When the nuts fully boiled, they are taken out from the vessel by means of perforated can ladle and foured to the cane basket. This process requires lot of firewood while boiling. Arrangement of firewood has become another problem for the farmers.

5.    DRYING AND GRADING : Boiled kernels are dried on a special bamboo mats for about six to eight days under the sun which are spread on a raised platform infront of the grower’s house called ‘adike atta’. Every day in the morning the nuts are spread, to get sufficient sunlight and in the evening, spreaded nuts are collected in heap and covered by the gunny bag or areca leaf sheaths to protect it from the falling of dew during in winter nights. After having repeated this process for about six to eight days, thereafter, the nuts are sorted and graded in to different varieties called ‘Aapi’, (chikani), ‘Rashi’, ‘Bette’, ‘Kempugotu’, ‘Aggigai’, and ‘Kolekempu’ or ‘Kempukoka’.
 

        The fully ripened nuts, are merely dried soon after the harvest in the sun for about 40 days (depending upon the availability of sunlight) without removing the husk. Before drying, it is called as ‘Sippegotu’ after drying it becomes ‘Dry Chali’ or after extracting the outer cover (husk) nuts becomes ‘Chali’. Some farmers in the Dist. wait at least eight to ten days after the harvest to dry it in the sun, as they believe that its weight and quality will improve by doing so. Farmers follow the practice of drying areca bunches directly without separating nuts from the bunch, which are kept on the roofs of the house or on the ‘atta’ or on the floor. However, majority farmers they separate nuts from the bunches and spread it over on the floor or ‘atta’. Every seven days it is collected in heap and will be respreaded to see that it should get the sunlight from all the dimensions. So that quality nuts can be obtained.
    Then after dried nuts are husked and dry kernels sorted and graded in to different varieties called ‘Chali’, ‘Belegotu’, ‘Vadaku’, ‘Chalikempu’, ‘Gattikoka’, and ‘Laddukoka’.

6.    COLOURING : After the boiling of arecanut in a copper vessel, the water remained in the vessel is not wasted, in fact, it is reboiled for a couple of hours and little thick liquid is prepared, and now it is called tannin or ‘Chogaru’. The sorted and graded tender nuts are soaked or coated in this tannin to get a glossy and attractive red appearance. This process is called ‘Colouring’. After the coloring nuts are kept again under the sun for about 4 hours and in the evening time it will be packed in a gunny bag. Now it is ready for marketing. However, for riped nuts or chali variety coloring process is not essential. Only ‘chali kempu’ variety is colored to attract the marketer.

7.    PREPARATION OF FACTORY VARIETY : Specially in the coastal region, the harvested ripe nuts are stored in pits or stepped in water for consumption during off season. This variety has in good demand at the local markets and Bombay market as well. So that, after storing for period of one year even, it can be sold in the market. This type of processing is done only in the coastal areas.