CHENNAI: A decade might have passed since Professor P I Peter began a factory to produce the juice of the Indian mulberry, right here in Chennai, but in 2011, the Noni seems poised to make the world a healthier place after officially being consumed in 32 countries. “Every single bottle is custom-made here in our plant at Othivakkam,” explains Peter, who discovered the fruit almost 12 years ago in the compound of the Mangalore Port Trust. A botanist by profession, Peter then brought the plant to Tamil Nadu and has subsequently managed to domesticate the plant from "fruit to field" in all the states of South India, as well as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “It is currently grown in 10 states across India, where there is a tropical climate ideal for the plants growth,” added Dr Kirti Singh, Chairperson - World Noni Research Foundation, the body that has been propagating the fruit and its ‘healthy’ benefits. Hailed for its usefulness in revitalising the cells, improving digestion and protection from toxins among many other things, the concentrate from the fruit which is sold as a food supplement is believed to have over 160 essential health nutrients. When asked why the plant was set up in the city, Peter simply replied that, “I am from Chennai and so it made sense to also have the factory here!”The factory in Chennai has a production capacity of 1.2 lakh bottles per day and is currently valued at Rs48 crore , he said. Currently, noni juice and its benefits are being studied and tested in research centres in Bangkok, Canada, Phillipines, Hawaii and several other locations across the globe. "We are also trying to set up a centre in the UK and that will be done soon," he also revealed. Other than retailing a variety of products such as noni-based soft drinks and even bathing soap, the story of how noni made its way to other countries is interesting, “Initially people here bought it and used it. After they liked it, they took it abroad and that's how a demand was created in so many countries,” says the proud botanist-turned-entrepreneur. They have also tied with several top varsities and colleges to conduct research into the medicinal properties of noni juice. Another good thing about their organisation is that the raw noni fruit, is outsourced to farmers who are trained in organic practices across the state, with over 300 farmers actively cultivating it across India, "We offer them legal buy-back and crop-worth guarantees which are safe because noni is a plant that flowers through the year," said Singh.They are all set to host their sixth National Research Symposium called Noni-Search 2011 at the Chennai Trade Centre on October 1 and 2.
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