Promotion of tender coconut following the ban on cola

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 12: Kerala Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has directed the Tourism Director to take necessary action to promote tender coconut following the total ban on the production and sales of Coca Cola and Pepsi in the state.

A release said here that the minister asked the director yesterday to project the medicinal value of the tender coconut than promoting it as a mere soft drink.

In the future tender coconut, the health drink of the state, would be the main item in the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) menu, he added. He also asked to make it available sufficently in all its units.

Mr Balakrishnan said he had also directed to provide it in all government functions instead of bottled water.

The Tourism Department would issue necessary directions to hotels, resorts, classified restaurants and home stays to encourage the use of tender coconut.

Besides this, the government would also plan to give advertisements in print and visual media to make the healthy drink popular among foreign tourists, he said.

The District Tourism Promotion Councils would take the mantle of the projects promoting the drink and would also give encouragement to tender coconut farmers.

UNI