Spiked toddy: Fall in number of tappers in Telangana a major cause of adulteration
Once a robust and respected occupation with around eight lakh active tappers, the number has plummeted to just 1.9 lakh today. Most of those still in the trade are elderly, with few alternative skills. The younger generation, even from toddy tapper families, is moving away from the profession in search of more secure, better-paying jobs after completing their education.
While rural districts still have a limited pool of skilled tappers, urban toddy compound operators are reportedly unwilling to hire them.
Instead, they procure toddy by arranging their own labour and managing logistics. Tapping from govt-allotted trees in distant districts entails high transport costs, leading some compound owners to cut corners by selling adulterated toddy.
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'Some operators find it easier and cheaper to manufacture spurious toddy. This often results in severe health issues—even deaths. The poor, unaware of the risk, are the most affected,' said a source familiar with the operations.
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Worryingly, there are also allegations that some urban toddy compounds falsely claim to employ tappers from Bihar on record, while in reality, no such hiring takes place—raising questions about regulatory oversight.
The issue of adulterated toddy is not new. During the tenure of late YS Rajasekhara Reddy in united Andhra Pradesh, the govt was forced to ban toddy compounds following several tragic incidents where contaminated toddy caused multiple fatalities.
In 2014, with the formation of Telangana and the BRS govt taking charge, toddy compounds were reinstated. However, activists and public health experts argue that re-opening them without addressing the root causes of adulteration has only revived an old problem in a new form.
One solution, they suggest, lies in reviving a forgotten initiative from the NTR era—Varuni Vahini scheme. This model involved setting up govt-run factories in every district to process toddy with fruit additives, all under the strict supervision of the excise department.
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