Aimed at introducing more value-added products, Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) has introduced Oceania -- a new carbonated drink from cashew fruit in the market.
The new soft drink has been developed in collaboration with the research wing of the Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram. It will be produced from the PCK’s production unit at Mooliyar in Kasargod from cashew fruits left over after cashew nut collection.
The Corporation cultivates cashew on a total area of 5,500 hectares across the State. While it produces more than 8,000 tonnes of cashew nuts every year, fruits are usually left as waste. When the University developed a technology to produce beverages from cashew fruits, PCK has developed a new project in association with varsity to produce a new carbonated drink, PCK Chairman A.K.Chandran said.
B Pramod, Managing Director said that the name ‘Oceania’ was taken from the scientific name of cashew tree Anacardium occidentale. Priced at ₹24 per bottle, the new drink will be available in 300 ml packs.
PCK plans to produce 1,000 liters of beverage per day. The government has earmarked ₹10 crore for the 2020-2021 under the Rashtriya Kisan Yojana scheme. With the availability of funds, he said the production could reach up to 5,000 liters per day.”
The company has also plans to procure cashew from private plantations at a fair price when the production increases. Currently, the product will be available at the Corporation's outlets. But plans are afoot to market it through Milma and Horti Corp.