Bizarre diktat: Mysuru corporation bans tender coconut pulp

MYSURU: The coronavirus scare has found its way into the tender coconut too. Authorities have directed sellers to give customers only coconut water to drink, and not the much-sought white pulp — coconut meat or jelly — inside to ward off risk of infection. Sellers say the directive is ruining business as most customers relish the coconut pulp and feel they are not getting their money’s worth.
“This is to avoid spread of the virus,” said Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) chief health officer MS Jayanth. “If an infected person drinks the coconut water directly, without using a straw, the virus may get deposited on the brim. When the vendor cuts open the coconut shell to remove the pulp, the virus may stick to the machete. This could spread to the next set of customers when the machete is used for them.”
Coconut sellers say most customers ask for the pulp to be scooped out from the shells as it is not only tasty, but nutritious and filling as well. “There are lots of people who drink coconut water only to have the meat inside. Some customers even abused me for refusing to give the meat,” Raju, who sells tender coconuts near BGS Apollo Hospital. “There are fewer customers now. Many think it is wastage of food and money to throw the pulp away.”
WHO says spread of coronavirus infection through food and water is highly unlikely, though it could move from person to person through contamination of surfaces that an infected person touches. “But precaution is better than cure. Instead of drinking coconut water on the roadside, it’s better for people to bring it home and eat and drink as they please,” said Dr CU Jayaram, an ex-surgeon with the Navy.
Raju said the lockdown was a blow to summer business and now that the shop is open, the directive has dampened demand. “We are already in financial hardship due to the lockdown. Majority of people drink tender coconut only during summer which we lost due to the lockdown. With monsoon almost here, very few people will want to drink coconut water.”
Worse, he said, police are seizing machetes from sellers found violating the rule. “Five machetes belonging to a friend of mine who has shops in other areas have been seized.”