Tierra set to launch banana, tapioca chips

Tierra Food India Private Limited will soon launch processed and packaged chips made out of banana and tapioca. The products will be launched in Kerala in Phase-I and then be extended to major cities outside Kerala and export markets.

The packets will be sold at Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 40 through 15,000 outlets across Kerala. The commercial launch of the products will take place in the second week of March.

The company has set up a production facility at Adoor with a total investment of Rs 15 crore. It has a daily production capacity of six tonne. The company expects to achieve sales of Rs 12 crore this year, Alex Thomas, managing director of Tierra Food, told reporters here.

 

The banana chips market in Kerala, which is mainly unorganised, registers an annual sales turnover of Rs 600 crore, while tapioca garners Rs 150 crore. Kerala produces 380,000 tonne of banana a year, of which around 40 per cent is used for making chips, while a major chunk of tapioca is used for making starch.