Jackfruit festival held to study market potential

Jackfruit festival held to study market potential

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, June 19, 2012: The Agriculture Research Centre of Brahmavar, Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project of Dharmasthala, Krushi Samaj of Mangalore, and Varanashi Research Foundation of Adyanadka jointly organized a 2-day state-level jackfruit festival in Dharmasthala on June 18, Monday to explore the market potential of jackfruit.

The jackfruit festival was first organized in Karnataka in 2007, and the following year, another festival called Kadamba was held. A series of jackfruit festivals were later held in Sirsi, Nittoor, Thirthahalli, Mangalore, Bangalore, and Kerala. Every year, major jackfruit festivals are being held in the Malnad region. The purpose is to study the market for jackfruit and jackfruit products because the demand for the same is going up year by year.

 

Local women are now supplementing their income through the manufacture and sale of jackfruit products such as chips, papadams, jam, and others. The Kadamba Marketing Cooperative Society in Uttara Kannada has created a record by purchasing 1.5 lakh papadams and 600kgs of chips last year.

Kerala has also been exploring possibilities of exporting jackfruit products to the Gulf countries. Close to 5000 people in Shri Lanka sell jackfruit products in vegetable markets, supermarkets, and groceries.

Jackfruit is also known for its medical powers as 100gm of jackfruit has 303mg of potassium, which is capable of lowering blood pressure. Jackfruit bark and root also has health benefits.

Although India is the second largest producer of jackfruit, it hasn’t achieved any growth as far as exports are concerned. These conventions and workshops are being conducted to enhance public awareness of jackfruit and encourage them to grow jackfruit in their farms and plots.