Scope, Nutritional Importance and Value Addition in Palmyrah (<em>Borassus flabellifer L.</em>): An Under Exploited Crop

Palmyrah palm has great economic potential and every part of the palm is useful in one way or the other is considered as ‘kalpaga tharu’. The palm is found growing widely in southern states of India. As the value addition in palmyrah is not standardized, the palmyrah products viz. tender fruit endosperm (nungu), neera, jaggery and tuber flour are not commercialized so far. Even though palmyrah is an economically important palm for its nutritional aspects, it has not received proper attention from the agricultural research workers, probably on account of the fact that it is very slow growing palm and mostly found in the wild state. In this context, knowing the physico-chemical properties and development of value added products and popularizing the same is essential