Region a major consumer of coconuts

VARANASI: Along with chunaris, the region is fast becoming one of the biggest consumers of coconut, a fruit that is offered as prasad to Goddess Durga during Navratra.
As per estimate, the region witnesses sale of over 1.5 million coconuts in a year, with nearly two-thirds of the sale happening during the two Navratra periods in a year. Similarly, a heavy consumption of coconuts has been reported in summer season, with coconut water taken as desi cold drink in the region.
According to Prem Kapoor, a senior trader, the coconuts also have a strong Bengali connection, as most of them are brought from West Bengal."They also come from other states, including Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, and the region has now become the prominent consumption point for coconuts," he informed.
Reports from Nariyal Bazaar indicate that while one million coconuts are consumed in the region every year during Navratra, another half a million are taken as desi drink during the summer season.
The coconut with its husk (outer covering) is also being used to prepare coir and strong ropes with the region already emerging as main coconut centre with number of cottage industries dependent on coconut products.