Agri research must explore ways to popularise jackfruit

Mangalore Today News Network

Kundapur, June 14, 2015:   Speaking at the State level Jackfruit Mela-2015 organized by Agricultural and Horticultural University, Shivamogga, Agriculture Science Center, Brahmavar, Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Center, Brahmavar here June 13, Saturday,  Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said agricultural research institutes should take the initiatives to find possibilities to expand the use and production of jackfruit on a larger scale.

  The minister said the fruit is grown in the coastal belt substantially but people in the region are ignorant of the nutritional and natural good in the fruit. The jackfruit is a subsidiary food among most of the people in this region. The fruit which is rich in vitamins and minerals acts as nutrients to support the immune system. He added the government has taken measures to introduce elaborate food processing programmes and the initiatives would help the common people, he said.

Benefits :  Earlier inaugurating the jackfruit fest, veteran agriculturist and banker K M Udupa stressed on the need for the extension of agricultural activities.  He lamented that crores of rupees are spent on research aiding agricultural activities. However, the benefits of the research are not availed by most  of the total farming communities in the country. The visible impact of the research activities is nil. The value added export activities are the need of the hour. The awareness programmes should be taken in the interest of the farmers. He said the public, who have encroached the forest land and have destroyed various varieties of fruits and trees should lament on their deed. The animals are entering the human habitats as they do not find  food in the forest. He said the forest department should take up measures to support the growth of jackfruit by cultivating the jackfruit saplings and plant trees.

The trees which actually requires little effort  to be fruitful,  is indeed a great gift of the mother earth. He urged there is need for marketing of the jackfruit extensively.  He said the uniqueness of the western ghat lies in the fact that the region is the hub for many special species of nature,  not found across the world. It is the responsibility of each individual in this region to protect the species from becoming extinct.