Stable market to boost Kithul industry vital

By Ananda Kannangara

Although Sri Lanka is blessed with different species of plants such as coconut, palmyra, arecanut, breadfruit , jak, tea and rubber, the Kithul palm which is another important tree of which people do not talk much, has a history of over 500 years.

A kithul timber pot A Kithul tapper

Household utensils made of kithul timber

A pot with kithul sap

Kithul is known as the Toddy Palm by Sri Lankans during the colonial period, since the sap taken from tapped Kithul flowers is used to produce a herbal drink called Ra in Sinhala and Toddy in English.

An Englishman who had a great liking to Kithul toddy, called it the ‘Fish-Tail Palm’. He used this word after a careful study of the kithul leaf which is similar to the tail of a fish. The botanical name for the kithul palm is Caryota urens, and Koondalpanai in Tamil.

Kithul is found in wet zones. Kithul is a dual purpose palm. The sap, is used to produce treacle, jaggery, toddy and herbal beverages. Treacle and jaggery are used to make traditional sweetmeats such as Kavum, munguli, aggala, wanduappa.

Kithul flour is used to make Vali thalapa and kithul talapa.

The timber, of matured kithul trees is used to manufacture cupboards, tables, chairs, doors, lamp shades, kitchen utensils and ornamental handicraft for the local and the export market.

Even before the advent of the Portuguese and the British some Sri Lankan rulers - Dutugemunu, Kawantissa and Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe had a great liking for food, made of kithul treacle and flour. Some villagers used to offer various kinds of traditional food items made from kithul flour to the palace.

King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe is recorded to have a habit of drinking processed sweet toddy (currently called arrack) made out of kithul sap.

According to the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development, kithul is cultivated in 18 districts in the country, mostly in Gampaha, Kalutara and Kandy.

Over three million kithul palms are found in these districts and of them 600,000 are matured palms. Around 90,000 are tapped for toddy, treacle and jaggery.

Nearly 30,000 Sri Lankans are currently employed in the kithul industry and over 50,000 families depend on its income.

The Sunday Observer had a rare opportunity of visiting kithul plantations in the Kalutara District. The Kalutara district has over 15,000 kithul palms. Kithul is one of the major employment generating industries providing jobs for 7,000 families in the district.

K.L. David, a 67-year old farmer of Palathota said he has been in the kithul industry for the past 35 years and called upon the Government to set up a market to sell their products.

He said kithul producers face financial problems and occupational hazards. He said that an insurance scheme is essential for tappers.

A kithul toddy producer, Piyananda of Ratnapura said authorities should look in to the welfare of tappers and their families by offering bank, distress and housing loans and medical benefits.

He urged the authorities to implement a pension scheme for tree tappers.

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development, K.R. Samarasinghe said steps have been taken to develop the kithul industry while protecting existing trees. “We will implement safety measures and introduce medical benefits for tappers,” he said.

According to Excise Ordinance, kithul trees cannot be tapped without a licence and urged Police to allow persons involved in the industry to carry out their tree tapping freely.

He said steps have been taken to produce chocolates and jujubes from Kithul treacle.

Around 2,000 kithul tree tappers will be trained during next year.

Samarasinghe said: ‘KASPER’ (Kithul Activation and Sap Production Enhancing Reagent ), is a new technology , introduced by the Technology and Research Ministry with the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) to increase the yield.

He said Kithul sap could be stored for three to four days without adding chemicals. He said although KASPER technology is used by kithul palm owners to increase production, some villagers use herbal medicines to enhance production.

Gamalath Peris of Ratnapura said he has ten Kithul palms and has not used the KASPER technology.

He said the traditional herbal medicine, prepared by him using leaves, garlic and other raw material is ideal to increase production.