Vazhakulam pineapple market rate today

Vazhakulam Pineapple (Geographical Indication No. 130 Registered at Chennai on 4th September 2009 under Agricultural-Horticultural Product) Go to VAZHAKULAM and you’ll see nothing but pineapples. About an hour’s drive from Kochi, Vazhakulam is the centre of pineapple trade in Kerala, and India. From here, 80 per cent of Kerala’s pineapple harvest travels to the rest of the country, resulting in an annual turnover of Rs 200 to 250 crores. It was in the 1940s that the people of Vazhakulam began growing pineapples on a small scale. With favourable climatic conditions producing bumper crops, the cultivation turned commercial 10 years later. The variety grown was Kew, ideal for the processing industry. Jam and squash producing companies turned to Vazhakulam for their pulp. As the area under cultivation grew, the farmers formed cooperatives that would give them better bargaining opportunities. In 1990, with the creation of The Pineapple Farmer’s Association of Vazhakulam, the cooperatives were brought under a single umbrella. Five years later, the state government pitched in with a research station. The station’s role is largely to introduce new management practices and technology that will help the crop. But it also has a one on one interaction with the farmer and provides necessary technical information to banks for loans. With such an organised system in place, the growth in Vazhakulam’s pineapple sector has been tremendous. Along the way many farmers switched to the Mauritiu...

Pineapple (Ananas comosus(Linn.) Merr., family Bromeliaceae) is also known as the “fruit of Kings”. It is believed to have originated in South America, somewhere in southern and central Brazil, northern Argentina and Paraguay. Columbus recorded the existence of pineapple in West Indies islands in 1493. Voyagers took the pineapple to different parts of the world and reached Kerala in 1548. Most of the cultivated varieties in pineapple come under two major groups, viz., Cayenne and Queen groups. The Kew variety grown in most of the states in India comes under Cayenne group and is good for processing. The Mauritius variety, now widely grown in Kerala, represents Queen group and is an excellent fresh fruit. The juice of pineapple fruit is considered as a ‘health drink’ that contains several vitamins, minerals and medicinal properties. Pineapple is the only source of bromelain, a complex proteolytic enzyme used in pharmaceuticals and as a meat-tenderising agent. The stem of the plant can be used for bromelain and starch extraction. Its fibrous leaves are used in some countries for paper and cloth making and to make silage for cattle feed. The fruit processing wastes such as peel, core and centrifuged solids from juice production can be used as cattle feed, biogas production and compost making. can be made from fruit juice. WORLD SCENARIO Pineapple is an important tropical fruit showing an increasing demand worldwide, over the years. More than 20 % of the world production of tro...

In international trade, the numerous pineapple ( Ananas comosus) cultivars are grouped in four main classes: 'Smooth Cayenne', 'Red Spanish', 'Queen', and 'Abacaxi', despite much variation in the types within each class. Smooth Cayenne or Cayenne ('Maipuri', 'Kew', 'Sarawak', 'Esmeralda', 'Claire', 'Typhoon', 'Saint Michel'): Smooth Cayenne is extensively cultivated in Hawaii, Philippines, Australia, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Kenya, Mexico, Cuba and Formosa. The ovoid medium-sized fruit (1.5 to 2.5 kg) of 'Smooth Cayenne' is held on a short and strong peduncle. It ripens progressively, turning yellow from the base to the top, which is reflected in a strong internal maturity gradient too. The flesh is firm, close-textured, juicy and with a pale-yellow to yellow colour at maturity. And average acid range lies between 0.5 and 1.0% and total soluble solids (TSS) between 12° and 16° Brix. The plant is a poor producer of shoots and slips. The production cycle is longer than for most other cultivars. 'Smooth Cayenne' is sensitive to many known pests (fruit borers, mites, symphillids, nematodes) and diseases (mealybug wilt, fusariosis, fruitlet core rot, butt rot), and to internal browning. However, it is considered tolerant to Phytophthora sp. and resistant to fruit collapse, caused by Erwinia chrysanthemi Burkbolder. Mauritius is recommended for commercial cultivation for table purposes and distant marketing, due to its shorter duration, better fruit quality, keeping quality an...

Marketing Most of the pineapple produced in Kerala state is being transported to the various states in India from Vazhakulam. The local administration at Vazhakulam (Manjalloor Panchayat) has built a market place solely for pineapple marketing during 1982 and it is considered as the biggest pineapple market in India. From here fresh pineapple is being sent to various states like Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi etc. mainly by lorry transport. Very limited quantity of fresh pineapple is being exported to Gulf countries in special packings. AVERAGE MONTHLY PRICE OF PINEAPPLE DURING 2006 (Rs./Kg) AVERAGE MONTHLY PRICE OF PINEAPPLE DURING 2007 (Rs./Kg)

CHENDAMANGLAM DHOTIES Chendamangalam is a small town on the banks of river Periyar 30 km away from the main city of Ernakulam. It is a thriving centre of trade and exchange near the ancient seaport Muriris. This place is also known as the home for Malabari Jews although now the raw materials come from Surat, Gujarat but Chendamangalam weavers are famous for its on crafting and using their hadloom to generate beautiful mundus and dhotis. Weavers from Andhra and Tamil Nadu established the weaving centre here. Padmashliyars chaliyars and bhattarayars are few of the weaving community practicing over generations. Chendamangalam is famus for set mundus which became good source of employment after forming of cooperative Society in 1955 during the Travancore Cochin Societies act. Cottom Brought from Gugarat is first Soaked into water to remove the impurities and chemical residue and then boiled for better finishing at 200ºC for 24 hours. Then they are washed ageain and oxidized to gain desired colours then left for drying for one day and three day in sunlight. After all these process, it is put on handloom mills. Around 10,000 weavers, 4 to 5 thousands households and especially the population in gram Panchayat are part of this community. Pokkali Rice The Pakkali land in 33 Panchayat municipalities and one city corporation are in Allepy, Ernakulam and Thrissur district of Kerala. The uniqueness about the Pokkali rice cultivation in Ernakulam is that it has some biotic relationship ...

Vazhakulam, the ‘Pineapple Republic’ in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, has a little problem with the term ‘shelf life’. The pulpy sweetness and lingering aroma of the GI-tagged pineapples that the area produces in millions do not last for more than ten days. Hence, the world outside India doesn’t get to enjoy the extraordinary taste of the Vazhakulam Pineapple. To beat the short shelf life of its produce, Vazhakulam — the hub of pineapple farming and trade — is looking for investors and food-processing entrepreneurs to make value-added, packaged pineapple products. “We welcome food-processing companies — start-ups or multinationals — to come to Vazhakulam and set up pineapple processing and exporting units,” said Jose Kalappura, President of the All Kerala Pineapple Farmers Association. Price fluctuations Kalappura points out that nearly 90 per cent of the 300-plus-tonne ‘Vazhakulam Pineapple’ produced a year in around 12,000 hectares is consumed as fruit. The short shelf-life of the fruit is a big handicap as the farmers cannot hold their harvest for better prices. The result is drastic fluctuations in the price So, process or perish was an existential dilemma for the sector. A three-day ‘pineapple fest’ held at Vazhakulam recently by the stakeholders saw them decide to go in for a global branding. For this they decided to focus on processing the fruit to produce a range of value-added, bottled or packaged food products that would stay on the shelf for months on end. “We wi...

Manna Pineapple Agencies is a prominent merchant and cultivator of the famed Vazhakulam pineapple from the Pineapple city of Vazhakulam. The company has built its reputation within the country and international regions by our strong adherence to various international quality standards and timely deliveries. Officially established in 2014, Manna has a rich heritage of over 22 years in pineapple cultivation. Holding on to our roots, we constitute the exact ardor for quality, trust, and professionalism that we have been made on. Today, Manna ships high quality, fresh pineapples to various Middle Eastern countries and across India. We always ensure our fresh pineapples reach end-users with all the goodness of farm-fresh produce by the best packaging and careful handling all along. Our ultimate goal is customer satisfaction and this passion for serving customers has helped us grow and retain existing customers. The quality of the pineapple we choose is of having paramount importance as we realize the trust that our customers place in us. We use both modern best practices and tradition-based information in our pineapple plantations throughout Kerala, which total over 400 acres. Plantations we choose for pineapple farming are only those that offer the best conditions for producing healthy pineapples. We have a wide reach in most of the cities in the Middle East and in India. Our efficient supply chain has not only enabled us to reach more retailers and wholesalers in currently se...

Profile The Pineapple Research Station at Vazhakulam was established on 2nd January 1995 to give research and development support to pineapple farmers. Since then, this research institute of the Kerala Agricultural University has been steadily growing and serving as a subvention to the pineapple growers of the state and the country as well.