Ban for tapping toddy from coconuts and Palmyrahs – 12,000 families to be affected in North only
The Government has announced an amendment, banning tapping toddy from Coconuts and Palmyrahs. The gazette notification relevant to this had been issued by the Government on the 20th of this month. As per the intended new law, tapping of toddy from any tree except Kithul tree will be banned . More than 12,000 families who are dependent on tapping Toddy will be affected by this, said the president of the Valikamam Cluster of the Palmyrah, Coconut, Development Cooperative Societies, S.Selvarasa.
This amendment has been brought under the name of the Excise Tax Amendment Law.
Earlier this read as “ the tapping of toddy from any tree except Kithul, Coconut and Palmyrah are banned”. Now the names of Coconut and Palmyrah are deleted from the new law. If this law is adopted, it will come to effect from January next year.
The government has not indicated any reason for banning all of a sudden the tapping of Toddy from Coconut and Palmyrah trees.
Criticism has been placed forward saying that this is a racist act. Kithul trees grow out of North and East and exclusive in areas populated by Sinhalese people. Palmyrah and Coconut grow in mostly in N & Eastern areas populated by Tamil people. Because of this, the critics say that, the Government is undertaking this move with an internal motive of affect the livelihood of the Tamils.
From time immemorial, toddy is being tapped from Coconut and Palmyrah trees. 12,000 families are living depending on this trade. If this law is implemented, these families will be driven to the middle of the road. Hence, we are to call all the Palmyrah and Coconut Development Societies and discuss about this. Action also will be taken to make the Tamil MPs aware of this and to make them suitable action in the Parliament, he said.
