The Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society, with the support of several other organisations, has started a project to provide income to women in the tribal-dominated Koraput district. Since July, over 1,000 tribal women have been trained to prepare tasty, marketable and hygienically prepared jackfruit chips.
“The aim is to start mass production during summer months next year,” said ORMAS Deputy CEO Roshan Kumar Kartik.
Out of the 14 blocks of the district, 12 have a large number of jackfruit trees, but only 10% of the produce is consumed locally. Usually tribals sell these at ₹5 to ₹10 per fruit to middlemen who send it outside. A large number gets wasted. However, fried jackfruit chips fetch ₹250 to ₹350 per kg. According to ORMAS, each kilogram of jackfruit chips can provide at least ₹100 profit to these women.
Apart from providing training in chips making and packaging, it has been decided to establish three large scale production and packaging units at Sunabeda, Jeypore and Laxmipur. The units will be managed by Koraput Agro Products Producers’ Company, an organisation of women farmers promoted by ORMAS and the Odisha Livelihood Mission.
Forest and Agriculture Departments are also supporting the project.
