Spending 20 years of his life in Kuwait, the 56-year-old man who belongs to Goa (India), and after losing his job, started his traditional trade, toddy tapping. Many people are using Toddy to make sannas, as demand is high at feasts and other occasions.

If you’ve ever driven by the Batim coconut grove in the morning or evening, you’ve probably seen Apollo Esteves at work. After spending 20 years in Kuwait, 56 years from Goa, Velha returned from Goa and took up his traditional business, toddy tapping. Toddy tapping is a problematic exercise, and not too many in Goa are doing it today. Apollo did not do this.

He stated that my father had died, and I had to care for my family. I learnt all these from my uncle and took it up professionally at 14 when my uncle passed away.

According to him, I moved to Kuwait in 2001 to seek better opportunities and will return to Goa in 2021 after being laid off again.

With fewer toddy tappers and growing demand for toddy, he sees it as a lucrative business opportunity. When I returned to Goa, I noticed that the price of toddy had dropped from 20 cents per liter to more than 200 cents.

I climb up the coconut palms thrice a day to extract sap, which is later fermented. Toddy is a business everybody aware of today, and it has many health benefits of toddy and using it daily.

As per his view, we also use toddy to make vinegar. He pulls about 10 liters of toddy from about 15 coconut palms every day. Goa Velha used to have around 500 toddy tappers, but now there are only five.

Toddy is being used by many people to make sannas, as there is a high demand for them at feasts and other special occasions. Many restaurants approached me to offer toddy, but I left with no energy and time.

According to him, the majority of what I get is sold in the coconut forest, and the remainder is made from vinegar, which is also in high demand.

Kids should be taught that working in a similar environment can also help you make a decent living if you work hard. It’s a lot of work to climb up and down trees each day, but it’s worth it. Younger people do not want to do this hard work and instead choose to pursue a career.