Sri Lanka’s Kithul Palm Sap Tapping Tradition Gets UNESCO Recognition
Sri Lanka’s Cultural Heritage: Kithul Palm Sap Tappers Recognized by UNESCO
REPORTER:
Kithul palms dot the landscape in this Sri Lankan village. Every day, Sarath Ananda climbs to the top of these trees and taps them for their sap. His wife, Padma Nandani Thibbotuwa, then boils the sap, turning it into a sweet syrup that can be used in sweets and desserts. It’s a small industry, with exports totaling only about $1 million US dollars last year. But in December, UNESCO labeled it an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
M. U. Gayani (CHAIR, KITHUL DEVELOPMENT BOARD):
The method of tapping the flowers is practiced only by us which is why UNESCO recognized it.
REPORTER:
Ananda can collect about 200 liters of sap a day from his trees but demand far outweighs supply. He has a network of 55 tappers that work together, enabling exports to markets like Australia and the UK. But despite how good business is, it’s not all smooth sailing.
Sarath Ananda (KITHUL TAPPER):
There are challenges for the kithul industry. The extent of kithul plantations is low. Very few people actually grow kithul as a commercial crop.
REPORTER:
The palms grow wild, without fertilizer. Attempts to cultivate them commercially have repeatedly failed. The high price of pure kithul sap means that counterfeit or adulterated product is another concern.
REPORTER:
Kithul tapping is not considered a prestigious occupation, but there are hopes that recognition from UNESCO would boost its profile. Despite this, Ananda remains concerned about the practice’s future.
Sarath Ananda (KITHUL TAPPER):
I am now a fifth-generation tapper. When we get to the sixth generation I don’t think my son will want to climb trees.
REPORTER:
Fewer than half of the estimated half a million kithul palms in Sri Lanka are tapped, according to estimates from the Kithul Development Board. That organization is training 1,300 new workers to take advantage of the sector’s untapped potential.
REPORTER:
Whether or not the kithul industry succeeds in turning over old ideas and bringing prosperity to Sri Lanka’s rural areas is still up in the air, but people like Ananda and Thibbotuwa are doing their best to push it forward.
