KERAFED facts for kids
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| Public company | |
| Industry | Coconut products |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
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Key people
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M. A. Francis (Managing Director) |
| Products |
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| Revenue |  ₹1.92 billion (US$33 million)(2009–2010) |
| ₹54.3 million (US$920,000) (2009–2010) |
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Number of employees
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~670 |
KERAFED is a special organization in Kerala, a state in southern India. It's like a big team for coconut farmers. KERAFED helps farmers by buying their coconuts. It also makes and sells products made from coconuts. In fact, it's one of the biggest makers of coconut oil in India!
In July 2019, a special plan was started to buy raw coconuts from farmers. This plan was called the State-Level Raw Coconut Procurement Drive. It was supported by about 190 local farmer groups in Kerala. This plan helped make sure farmers got a good price for their coconuts, around 27 Indian Rupees per kilogram.
How KERAFED Started
The government of Kerala created KERAFED in 1987. The main goal was to help coconut farmers. Farmers sometimes had trouble selling their coconuts for a fair price. KERAFED was set up to buy their coconuts and help manage the market. This way, farmers could get a better deal.
In 1991, KERAFED opened a factory. This factory was made to process copra. Copra is the dried meat of the coconut. By buying copra from farmers at a good price, KERAFED helped them earn more money. The factory also made sure that people could buy high-quality cooking oil.
During the financial year 2009–2010, KERAFED bought about 24,500 metric tonnes of copra. A metric tonne is like a very heavy car, so that's a lot of copra!
What KERAFED Does Now
KERAFED has two big factories that make coconut oil. One factory is in Karunagappalli, Kollam and the other is in Naduvannur, Kozhikode. These factories make coconut oil for about 500,000 people in Kerala. The oil is sold in about 14,000 different shops.
The factory in Karunagappalli is very large. It can process 20 tonnes of copra every day. That's enough to make a lot of coconut oil! The factory in Naduvannur can process 7.5 tonnes of copra daily. In 2009–2010, both factories together made about 10,000 metric tonnes of coconut oil.
During that same year, the factories used about 15,887 metric tonnes of copra. They also produced 5,111 metric tonnes of a leftover product called "pinnack."
Products You Can Buy
KERAFED sells its coconut oil under the brand name "KERA." You can find KERA coconut oil in different sizes. It comes in plastic bottles that hold 100 ml, 200 ml, or 500 ml. There are also larger plastic bottles that hold 1000 ml. For bigger families, it's sold in plastic pouches of 500 ml and 1000 ml.
