‘People should be trained in preparing value-added products of jackfruit’

Jackfruit saplings on display at the two-day jackfruit mela that began near Mahalingeshwar temple in Puttur on Saturday.

Reiterating the need to set up business incubation centres for jackfruit, Shree Padre, executive editor of Adike Pathrike , said on Saturday that farmers should not shy away from cultivating, marketing and promoting the fruit.

Speaking at a two-day jackfruit festival which began near Mahalingeshwar temple from Saturday, he said about 600 shops in Kerala now sell flour made from flakes of raw jackfruit, which is considered suitable food for people with diabetes. Hence, the flour is in demand as the Glycemic Index of raw flakes is low.

In addition to this, Mr. Padre, a crusader for jackfruit, said that with Kerala declaring jackfruit as its State fruit, people in that State are now enthusiastic about using jackfruit and its value-added products. He said that the monoculture of jackfruit cultivation is yet to pick up on a large scale in Karnataka. According to a former senior Horticulture Department official, the State has about 1,000 hectares under jackfruit cultivation now as a monocrop.

Mr. Padre said business incubation centres promoting value-added products of jackfruit would boost the fruit to go global as the country produces jackfruit in large quantities. There is a need to set up centres to train people in how to prepare value-added products of jackfruit, he said.

Mr. Padre also said that there was a need to conserve and multiply good varieties of jackfruit trees which bear quality fruits.

M.R. Dinesh, director, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru, who inaugurated the festival, said jackfruit festivals help in understanding the diversity of the fruit.

Manchi Srinivasa Achar, president, All-India Areca Growers’ Association, Puttur, said jackfruit will meet the hunger needs of people in the future. With arecanut farmers increasingly facing a lack of skilled workers, farm labourers and water, jackfruit cultivation could supplement their economic needs.

A variety of food items and value-added products made from jackfruit, raw jackfruit and its seed — like holige , manchurian, payasam , idli, vada, ice cream, jackfruit leather, happal a , chips — are for sale at the mela.