The road to the spectacular Athirapally Falls passes through Pariyaram, a little known village near Chalakudy town in Thrissur district of Kerala. Tourists don’t stop here. There is no reason to except one — mangosteen, a fruit of Indonesian origin, is grown so successfully in Pariyaram that it is called ‘mangosteen village’.
Pariyaram earns more than Rs 1 crore annually from this fruit. The village has struck an unusually farmer-friendly deal with a buyer in Chennai. The fruit is assessed while it is still growing on the tree and the farmer is paid in. . .