In India, The Vazhakkulam Agro and Fruit Processing Company will soon begin producing cutlery and plates from pineapple leaves. A joint venture owned by Kerala state and pineapple farmers, VAFPC has received ₹2.55 crore (US$343,000) from the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, a government scheme for developing India’s agricultural industries, for the project. Indian Institute of Interdisciplinary Science and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, is contributing technology for the process.
The region is home to approximately 5,000 pineapple farmers with 18,000 hectares of crops.