Agro-processing

Areca palm leaves boost employment for rural women

Areca palms (Areca catechu L) are commonly grown across Asian countries like India. It is grown for its nut, the arecanut, and its leaf sheaths. In a year, one palm will shed some five-six leaves and these are now the raw material for an industry run by rural women in South Karnataka, India. A report from Dr. Sureshramana Mayya.

A plantation of areca palms.

The raw materials - aracanut leaves

The arecanut leaf sheath is one of the important raw materials obtained from the areca palm. About 1000 million leaf sheaths are available annually in India alone. The numerous traditional uses to

Credit Dr. Sureshramana Mayya

Credit Dr. Sureshramana Mayya

which areca leaf sheaths have been and are used are caps and hats for farm workers, containers and packing cases for collecting and transporting materials at home like toddy, fish, etc. and as a

scoop for watering the garden. Recently, it has been found that the areca sheaths can be used to make plates, bowls and other utensils for serving and eating food and that they are more environmentally friendly than plastic plates. Plastic plates are non-biodegradable, whereas the areca leaf plates can be composted after use. They can also be fed to animals or burnt. The utensils can be used in microwave ovens and refrigerators and the bowls will retain liquids for threefour hours. Compared to other disposable plates, like paper plates, areca leaf utensils are sturdier and have a more attractive appearance so are useful for occasions like weddings, hotels, temples etc. The utensils have been cleared by the Central Food Technological Institute at Mysore. The areca palm is extensively cultivated in South India as a cash crop. The sheath is a strong pliable material that is amenable to shaping. Normally it dries on the palm and then falls to the ground where it decomposes. The leaf sheath is strong, semi flexible yet not brittle, odourless, water and heat resistant. The outer surface of the sheath is greenish or brown, waxy and tough, while the inner surface is creamy in colour and glossy. The leaf sheath has its own natural grains and characteristic texture, very much similar to those seen in furniture wood. Processing The leaf sheaths are first carefully sorted and then thoroughly washed and mechanically pressed in a pre-heated form. A final trimming finishes the product. The entire manufacturing process uses no chemicals, resins, dyes, strengthening agents or synthetic materials whatsoever. A specialised baking and sterilisation process ensures that the plates are totally germ free, hygienic, and suitable for using for food. There is a plate to suit every occasion - birthday parties, wedding parties, religious functions, corporate get together, picnics, tours, sports events or any other indoor / outdoor caterings etc. The range of products offers all the natural advantages of a

Copyright © Research Information. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. See www.appropriate-technology.org 52

Appropriate Technology, Vol 37, No 4. www.appropriate-technology.org

Producing araca leaf plates at the Raksha Areca Leaf Plate Manufacturing Unit

Credit Dr. Sureshramana Mayya

material that is freely available and demonstrates the overall advantages of using a biodegradable alternative. Leaf cups and plates are traditionally made by hand in Indian villages. These are commonly used for serving food at marriages, religions and social functions. The process has now been mechanised so that more elegant shapes and sizes can be made. The arecanut cup machine is a simple pedal operated machine, manually operated with minimum power consumption. It can be operated with gas, which helps in the heating process. It can also work without power using a kerosene oil blowlamp. The leaves are washed and dried to retain their pliability and are kept in a polythene bag to avoid drying before use. The leaves are placed on the lower die platen (a platen is typically a flat metal plate which is pressed against a medium to cause an impression), the pedal is pressed down and released after a few seconds. Folding, trimming, pressing into shape and drying are done in a single operation by pressing the pedal lever. The leaf cup is subjected to heating to 150 degree C for 10 seconds and this sterilises it. There is no major pollution problem associated with this industry except for the disposal of waste. It also helps in energy conservation.

Self-help groups In 2003, three self-help groups with 26 women members formed the Sri Raksha Arecanut Plate Manufacturing unit. It was sponsored by Sri Dharmasthala Rural Development Project with borrowed capital of Rs. 346,560 ($7,775). Apart from the loan, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna gave a loan of Rs. 173,280 and another loan of Rs. 365,000 for the construction of a building. It has been running profitably for the last five years. The groups purchase raw materials in bulk from nearby arecanut plantations, dry and store it in large quantities. Based on demand, they work and run their machines. They supply finished plates to Ecovison, an export unit

Areca leaf plates

Credit Dr. Sureshramana Mayya

situated nearby, with whom they entered into a contract for the sale of arecanut plates. They get Rs. 1.90 ($0.04) per finished 9” plate, compared to Rs. 1.30 in the local market. All the women employees are happy with their business. "We are a well known manufacturer of disposable leaf plates that are 100 per cent natural and Eco-friendly,” said Lakshmi, one of the partners. “Our products make for a hygienic substitute for serving food items as these are disposable and biodegradable. Customers can avail these in different shapes and sizes for serving hot and cold food". Another arecanut leaf plate manufacturing unit, Ganesh Industries, is privately owned by Nayana Hegde. The unit employs 15 women. "We have a problem with the cost of production because we have to collect areca leaves from far away areas like Souda, Shankaranarayana and Belve which adds on to transport cost," says Mrs Hegde. "Price is very important and I'm thinking of making more plates so as to reduce the cost burden." Mrs Hegde also owns a big arecanut plantation. Technology development Since it was formed the Sri Raksha Arecanut Plate Manufacturing Unit has successfully developed and improved the manufacturing process. More efficient and effective gas based machines have been developed to suit various places of Karnataka. Machines that work quicker and produce better quality products has been developed. It has standardised the equipment for making utensils of different sizes, so there is more uniformity. Better storage facilities are now available so that the raw material can be stored for more than six months. Better quality control has been designed and this improves the shelf life of the product. Dr. Sureshramana Mayya is a researcher at the MGM College, Udupi, Karnataka. For more information contact Dr. Sureshramana Mayya, Associate Professor, Department of Commerce, MGM College, Udupi, Karnataka576102. Email: sureshmayya@hotmail. com. Cell: 91 820 2572306

Copyright © Research Information. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. See www.appropriate-technology.org Appropriate Technology, Vol 37, No 4. www.appropriate-technology.org

53