A much-needed boost for vends in a state that’s hot about toddy

The lunch rush has ended, and the shop is nearly empty of customers; time for the all-male staff to stretch their legs and wash plates. There are only half-a-dozen plastic tables and chairs inside, and an overused sink in one corner of the main hall. A door leads to the kitchen with a thatched roof. In earthen and steel vessels, there are the remnants of various dishes, from fish fry and curries to chicken and beef. But none can mask the smell of the star of the show wafting in the air, fermented toddy, stored in glass bottles.

The Boche Toddy Pub in Vypin is 18km and a world away. There are comfortable dining options including air-conditioned cabins. There is parking space outside; the clientele often arrive in cars. There is even a separate play area for children. Anglers can try their hand at catching fish from the nearby lake, which are then cooked at the pub on the spot. Typically, weekends are busy, with entire families taking in the experience of a “modern toddy shop”.

It’s this contrast between the two shops, both operated with the same licence from the Kerala excise department, that the state government now aims to bridge as part of its new liquor policy announced on July 26. According to the new plan that will be put in place, the around 5,000 toddy shops in the state are set to be given a facelift, with the traditional alcoholic beverage rebranded to make it appealing to a larger clientele, primarily targeting the roughly 15 million tourists that make their way to Kerala every year.

The move has generated both excitement and trepidation. Most stakeholders agree that there is an untapped market to be explored, but there are some, like Joshy PS, who has served toddy for four decades at Kaloor that feels a little twinge of worry. “We all agree that toddy shops in the state must be beautified and working conditions should improve. But there are things that must be considered, thousands of jobs at stake, and we need to be protected,” the 62-year-old said.

The toddy business

“Kallu’, or toddy, is a fermented alcoholic drink traditionally prepared all over Kerala by extracting the sap of coconut or palm flowers. A tapper first sharpens his knife using powdered quartz and climbs atop the tree with the help of a coir rope or coconut husks. Once at the top, they secure a bunch of coconuts to be tapped with a leaf and cut off the tip with the knife. The bunch is then tightly wound with some rope to allow the sap to ooze out, subsequently tapped with a buffalo bone. An earthen pot is then hung at the mouth of the bunch where the toddy collects over several days, later to be fermented and served as “kallu” in shops. While a fresh glass of milky white toddy is sweet and non-alcoholic, upon fermentation, it turns into a sour and slightly acidic alcoholic drink. If fermented for longer, toddy turns into vinegar.

Sajeevar AR, who is both a tapper and a shop employee, said palms are tapped thrice a day, and a freshly cut tree yields toddy for about 15 days. “The quantity of toddy depends on the yield of the tree. High-yielding varieties can give about 2-3 litres a day. But these days, such trees are hard to find. I used to get about 15 litres after tapping 8 trees a day, but now, it has come down to 6-6.5 litres. After extraction, I supply the toddy to the shops the same day as it has a short lifespan of 24 hours,” said the 56-year-old, from Ernakulam, who has been in the business for 32 years.

It is this product that the Kerala government now wants to push by improving the customer experience when the product is finally bought. In 2018, in an affidavit to the Supreme Court, the Kerala government said that toddy was a “very mild alcoholic beverage”, with an alcohol content of 8.1%. For reference, a bottle of red wine has an alcohol content of between 12-15%.

The move to refurbish the shops is also part of a realisation, those involved in the business said, that unless steps are taken, the toddy market is shifting away. Rajendra, a staff member at the Kaloor toddy shop for 24 years says he has seen a drop in customers over time. “For the average consumer, all they want is ‘lahari’, or a kick from their drink. A bottle of 680ml of toddy costs ₹95 while one-and-a-half pegs of local brandy with much higher alcohol content can be bought for ₹120. For the same kick, someone will have to drink two bottles of toddy. What do you think they prefer?”

There are, of course, other factors that have not helped toddy. While arrack was banned in Kerala in 1996, there are often seizures of illicit toddy. Last week, excise officials in Aluva seized 1,500 litres of adulterated toddy and arrested four people from Ernakulam after they found a white chemical paste being added to the drink to increase its potency. In October 2000, 31 people died in Kalluvathukkal, 200 were hospitalised and about a dozen lost their eyesight after drinking adulterated liquor, and a decade later, at least 25 people lost their lives in Mallapuram after drinking spurious toddy. “After those incidents, people have fear about the quality of toddy. On top of that, private bars have a superior ambience and comfort as opposed to rickety toddy shops that add to the difference in image,” Rajendran said.

PK Seenulal, state joint secretary of the toddy tappers unit of CITU, the trade union wing of the CPI(M) said it was this juxtaposition of rickety unsafe toddy shops, and hygienic comfortable and safe private bars, that the state government’s move would now bridge. “Unadulterated toddy is not harmful to health. If we improve the standard of toddy shops and serve good food, people will turn up and if the government implements the policy in the right manner, this industry can be modernised,” he said.

The government move

On July 26, the Kerala cabinet approved the state’s liquor policy for the financial year 2023-24, with a special focus on reviving the beleaguered toddy sector. The policy document, which HT has seen, says that if toddy is marketed as the state’s traditional alcoholic beverage, it would find acceptance among tourists, with a vast majority of toddy shops not attractive to them. “To maintain minimum standards, toddy shops will be upgraded using a uniform design with the help of professionals. The sector needs to undergo changes to attract more youths. Toddy shops will be turned into spaces offering clean toddy and good food,” the document said.

The toddy produced in the state will be branded as “Kerala Toddy” and hotels with classifications of three stars and above, as well as resorts in tourist areas, will be permitted to tap coconut or palm trees on their premises and serve toddy to their guests, the policy says. Senior excise officials said that there are 5,770 licensed toddy shops in the state, out of which between 600 to 800 are not functional at any one point. The excise revenue from toddy, which includes tree tax, permits for shops and sales of toddy, is about ₹30 crore a year.

But there are already some voices of dissent, particularly from the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the trade union wing of the CPI, an ally in the Kerala government. The organisation has said that the policy is silent about the formation of the “Toddy Industry Development Board” ; a Bill was passed in the assembly in 2021 but little has happened since. There is also no move to reduce the distance limit for toddy shops which is currently set at 400 metres from educational institutions, places of worship, burial grounds, and SC/ST colonies. This distance for liquor retail outlets selling IMFL (Indian made foreign liquor) is 200 metres.

“The foremost challenge is that the production of good-quality toddy in the state is dwindling. New palms, especially high-yielding varieties, need to be grown and raised. What is the point of five-star toddy bars and pubs if there is no decent toddy to be served? Giving a fresh coat of paint to existing shops will not solve problems,” said R Chandrasekharan, state president of the Congress trade union wing INTUC.

The formation of a Toddy Board, he underlined, is critical to protecting the interests of nearly 50,000 persons directly and indirectly associated with the sector.

Radhakrishnan B, deputy excise commissioner (Abkari), however, said that the Toddy Board was in the works and the process of formulation of laws for the board was ongoing. Asked why the toddy shops in Kerala were in such dilapidated condition and therefore required this facelift, he said, “Most shops are located on rented premises and the owners have no intent to renovate their buildings. People largely oppose toddy shops coming up near their homes or workplaces as they fear disturbances and fights. Once these shops get a facelift, the public opposition will gradually die down.”

Among toddy tappers, however, there is a sense of satisfaction that the government seems to be invested in ridding toddy of preconceived notions. “Families should be able to come and sit together, drink toddy, and eat food. The facilities need improvement, especially in tourist areas. Of course, there will be legal challenges but the current government policy has a long-term vision,” Seenulal of the Toddy Tappers unit of CITU said.