Malayalis have an affinity for banana plants. We have a use for almost every inch of it — leaves, fruit or stem. Kodumon, a village in Adoor that earned the title ‘first eco-friendly village in Kerala’ in 2019, has come up with more innovative ways to utilise the banana stem (vaazha pindi) — two new value-added products.
Kodumon is famous for its paddy cultivation. Adapting good scientific agricultural practices, around 222 farmers aided by the Kodumon Farmer Producer Company and Kodumon Farmers’ Society brought out nine rice varieties over the past four years. They made kuthari (rose matta rice), nurukkari (broken red rice), raktashali and navara that boast medicinal properties and a germinated rice variety proven to have high nutritional value by the Council for Food Research and Development (CFRD).
“We started the Kodumon Farmers Society to help farmers earn the market value for their produces. To boost rice production, we began making value-added products out of rice- puttupodi, idiyappapodi, eatables like achappam, muruku, and even rice flakes,” says A N Salim, chairman, Kodumon Farmer Producer Company Ltd.
To facilitate the production, processing, and marketing of agricultural commodities in the small farm sector, the company started sourcing other produces like jackfruit, tapioca, and banana from farmers in Kodumon Panchayat. Then, they started making value-added products at the ‘Kodumon Ruchis’ outlet located in Chandanappally.
Around 27 items are currently available there. In just three months, the company made jam, robusta chips, cakes, and other snacks using bananas.”We are giving banana production as much priority as rice cultivation. Unfortunately, bananas are in high demand during Onam and the rest of the year is quite dull. Value-added products would create demand for bananas around the year. Around 93 plantain farmers are now part of the collective,” says Adhila S, agriculture officer.
Not all plantain stems can be used to make value-added products. The ‘palayankodan’ variety is ideal. “Palayankodan is usually not grown on a large scale. It usually grows in backyards and doesn’t need fertilisers. We collect them from well-known sources,” adds Adhila.
All in one stem
Banana stem is a rich source of fibre and helps ease digestive issues. The collective selected 10 women from the panchayat for training at the Banana Research Station in Kannara. “The women learnt that the essence from the stem can help people overcome kidney diseases, memory loss, and relieve menstrual problems,” says Salim.
At Kodumon Ruchis, the trained women handle the small-scale production of banana stem juice and pickle. “We haven’t introduced machines yet. We process the stem in a grinder. The unit has plans to customise a pulper that can churn out high-fibre content from the stem. As of now, the production capacity is limited,” says Adhila.
Pulpy plantains
Quality banana stems are handpicked by society members. The thick stem is wounded in several layers. The inner flesh is then diced into smaller portions and ground. “Once we receive the banana stem, it is either processed immediately or within a day. It can’t be stored longer than that. Once it is made inpulp, it is filtered. The liquid is refrigerated for two days till sediment is formed. Then, sugar syrup is added. It has to be consumed at a 1:4 ratio — one part pulp for four parts of water,” says Adila. Around 20 litres of pulp are processed daily. The juice is also available in ginger and pudina flavours.
Kodumon Farmers Company, a collective that has been supporting farmers for the past four years, is changing with the times by adding value-added products to their kitty — juice and pickle made from banana stem