If you are among those who love the jackfruit, but stop yourself from having it due to its unwieldy size and the difficulty in processing it, here is good news. P.S. Shaju, a former teacher of Chathankottunada in Kozhikode, has developed a ‘jackfruit cutter’, a machine to cut the fruit easily.
Mr. Shaju, who wanted to put an end to the immense wastage of the fruit, spent six months to develop the machine with the aid of Nabard.
The machine comprises a platform where the fruit can be kept and a lever on one side that sends a huge flat blade through the centre of the fruit. The flat blade may be substituted with a cylindrical blade to remove the central pith of the fruit.
Mr. Shaju has developed one machine at a cost of above ₹9,000. Despite the cost, the machine is already in high demand and many industrial units processing jackfruit, including the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Peruvannamuzhi, have been placing orders for it.
“Due to the cost, the machine can be used only for industrial purposes at present. When it moves to the stage of bulk production, the cost may come down. However, I am continuing my research to make it more affordable for household use,” said Mr. Shaju.
A member of the environmental organisation ‘Samrudhi’, Mr. Shaju has been working on developing various such machines. A machine he developed to process arecanut is being marketed all over Kerala by Raidco. Mr. Shaju is now in the process of developing a machine to pluck jackfruits from trees. “The new machine will be able to pluck jackfruits that weigh up to 20 kilograms,” he said.
Overwhelming response
The machine received overwhelming response when it was displayed at the ‘Chakka Maholsavam’ organised by Samrudhi, alongwith Kavilumpara grama panchayat and Kudumbasree, at Thottilpalam in Kozhikode on Saturday.
The Chakka Maholsavam was a grand success with all products being sold out by noon. “Our aim is to ensure that no more jackfruits are wasted,” said Johny Vadakkel, the founder of Samrudhi.
