Tamil Nadu Would Turn Into Desert Without Palm Trees: Naturalist At Awareness Event

The state of Tamil Nadu has always had a strong association with palm trees. The state tree, known as the Palmyrah or the palm, has a significant impact on the state’s economic and cultural landscape whenever the history of the Tamil people is taken into account.

Palm trees are part of the state’s tropical woods and the many species that make up the palm family are important commercially. There are around 105 different species of palm trees in 22 genera in India, and Tamil Nadu is the home to 50 per cent of all palm trees in India.

A palm tree awareness event was held close to the Tharuvai neighbourhood in Tamil Nadu. Farmers who own palm trees, the general public and a naturalist from the Egg Foundation named Nivek spoke about the importance of palm trees during the event. Nivek said although the state tree is the palm tree and Tamil Nadu had them in abundance, there are very less now. Palm trees are especially found in the districts of Nellai, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari in southern Tamil Nadu, he said adding that it used to be an excellent cash crop.

Listing the natural products that can be acquired from a palm tree, he named palm leaves, palm fronds, nungu, padaneer, dallu, palm rind, palm fruit, taun, blackcurrant, palm kernel, palm jaggery and palm fibre. He added that it takes at least 10 to 15 years for a palm tree to grow and produce milk, also known as palm wine and that a well-developed palm tree can live up to about 100 years.

Nivek also lamented the fact that humans have grown more distant from nature than in earlier times when people used palm trees to build houses and cots made of palm fibre were used for sleeping. Countless palm trees are being cleared for city expansion and residential expansion, he said.

Since the palm tree’s roots go deep into the soil and take the water it needs, it does not need to be watered or fertilised separately. The naturalist said that without palm trees, the land could turn into a desert.

According to studies, Tamil Nadu originally had 30 different species of palm trees, but today just three have been identified: Naatupanai, Koonthapanai and Thalipanai.