KOZHIKODE: The Kuttiyadi Coconut Industrial Park Limited, a project the state government announced almost a decade ago, is finally turning into reality, after ending all legal wrangles. The first coconut park in the country was in limbo after landowners moved court against the government purchasing land through negotiations instead of acquisition.
Finally, after a three-year battle, the court ruled in the government's favour. Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (KSIDC) director Dr M. Beena said it was now free to move ahead with the project. "It took a lot of time to settle them for difficulty in getting all necessary land documents," she said.
"Government had already allocated funds for four mega coconut parks in the state, including this." The 116 acres of land at Velam near Kuttiyadi was bought when Elamaram Kareem was the industries minister in 2007. The park mainly aims at value-added products like coconut ice cream, virgin coconut oil, coconut honey and packed tender coconut water, besides furniture making.
