trichy the tamil nadu toddy movement has appealed to the state government to lift the ban on toddy tapping claiming that the drink can be used for producing disinfectants using it as a basic ingredientciting reports from indonesia coordinator s nallasamy has stated that when disinfectants are becoming necessary to combat covid19 he has asked tamil nadu government to do the needful to use toddy for useful purposesthe entire world is under the grip of the pandemic as there is no medicine for the infectious disease personal hygiene and maintaining social distance is stated to be the only solution to keep the virus at bay and it has been advocated by the health department he saidpeople alleged that disinfectants and sanitizers are fast running out of stock in medical shops in some places these items are being sold for a higher price than the market rate nallasamy saidto overcome the situation the government should consider lifting the ban on toddy tapping in the state if the ban is lifted pharmaceuticals would come forward to produce disinfectants using toddy as it is being done by the government of indonesia he saidtoddy is part of food and not liquor we have been telling that toddy tapping and its consumption is a foodgathering right given to the people by the constitution this apart the government can safeguard people from withdrawal symptoms when we start giving them toddy he added