Demand for Pootharekulu

Normally, women make pootharekulu in their free time. They are paid a piece rate of 60 paise by sweet shop owners. If women work full time, they can make more pootharekulu. A man can make up to 1,000 pieces a day. Generally, men are engaged in marketing of the sweet. The annual turnover of the cottage industry is put at Rs 3 crore.

Though there is good demand for pootharekulu of Atreyapuram, its potential is not fully tapped. According to people engaged in making the popular delicacy, they are getting no support from the state government or banks in the form of subsidies or loans. The support from DWCRA groups is not adequate to promote the `paper sweet' in a big way. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s plans to get a brand image worldwide for Andhra Pradesh through pootharekulu are yet to materialise. The shelf life of pootharekulu needs to be increased to further enhance its popularity.