Packaged tender coconut water gains popularity amid rising prices and heat

Hubballi: With tender coconut prices soaring up to Rs 60% and temperatures rising, consumers are shifting to alternative thirst quenchers. A new entrant in the market—tender coconut instant drink powder—offers the same flavour at a fraction of the cost. Produced by select farmers' organisations, the powder, which can be mixed with cold water, retails at just Rs 15-20 per sachet and has a longer shelf life.Prasanna Hugar, proprietor of Nihira Enterprises, Vidyanagar, Hubballi, told TOI that 2-3 companies are selling instant tender coconut powder in the Hubballi market. "Demand for sachets, produced by farmers-owned companies, is more. In the nuts, one cannot assure quantity and taste as it varies. However, both are assured in these sachets. Consumers can just mix the powder with 200 ml or a glass of cold or normal water and drink it," he added.Sunanda Bharamagoudar, a homemaker, said that if we drink this powder with cold water, it gives the taste of natural tender coconut. "Moreover, it is very economical compared to the nuts in which sometimes we get either more or less quantity of water. We can even carry the sachets while travelling and drink it whenever we want. We normally buy a dozen sachets and keep them at home to drink whenever we want. If we serve it to guests, they feel like it is natural tender coconut water," she added.Parasappa, a security guard at a bigger private hospital in Vidyanagar, observed that relatives of patients admitted to the hospital are bringing such sachets. "As almost all bigger hospitals have banned bringing coconuts onto their premises, people are relying on such sachets which are easier to handle. If patients' relatives bring nuts, it is very difficult to dispose them," he shared.Vijay Kumar Belgaumkar, a distributor, said that tender coconut powder is not a new product and has been in the market for about 40 years. "However, awareness on such products is increasing in Hubballi in recent years. Since it is a healthy, affordable and easy to carry, consumers are opting for it to beat health issues like dehydration, gastric problems, heat, etc. Sales of these sachets increased by 90% when compared to other seasons. It is expected that demand for these sachets will double this summer," he stated.