Jacking up a fruit movement

MANGALORE: A heady aroma wafted across the well-ventilated room, as guests fought temptations to grab a bite of the grilled, curried, steamed and sweetened dishes of jackfruit displayed invitingly on the tables at Ubaru House at Kepu village located at about 60 kms from Mangalore recently.Not only men, even homemakers who take pride in their culinary skills were clearly in awe of hundreds of delectable jackfruit goodies displayed at a two-day ‘Halasu Utsava’ (Jackfruit festival or Jack fest), the last among a series of jack fests organised this year in Karnataka and Kerala.“Jackfruit is a forgotten ‘Kalpavruksha’ (Divine wishfulfilling tree),” rues Shree Padre who is in the forefront of a ‘Jack Movement’ facilitating jack fests for farmers in order to showcase the countless utilisation possibilities of this much neglected fruit.Jackfruit was once a staple diet, recollects Areca farmer Venkatakrishna Sharma of Alike village in Bantwal taluk.His grandmother, by preparing traditional dishes from Dosas to desserts, not only ensured zero wastage of jackfruits, but also mitigated the hunger of an entire family during monsoons.Growing up, like all farmers, Sharma resented jackfruits.Globalisation and accessibility of ‘ready to eat’ fruits also played a great role in the neglect of such a wonderful fruit.Shree Padre estimates that nearly 70 per cent of the firm flesh and 85 per cent of soft flesh variety is allowed to go waste.He says farmers are sure to suffer guilt pangs if exposed to value added products of jackfruit available country-wide and roundthe- year in Thailand, Malaysia Philippines and Vietnam.Sri Lanka with low-cost ready- to-eat, ready-to-cook products and processing technology is a model to India, he feels.In fact, ‘Bathgasa’ in Sinhalese language is known as rice tree, Shree Padre informs and adds that Indian jack is best in world.Vietnam is keen on importing jackfruits from India.But due to lack of organised marketing and in the absence of a reliable supply chain, India is not in a position to export jackfruits.Five years ago, the first jack fest was organised in Kerala in 2006, by Uravu, a Wayanad based NGO, with an objective to create awareness that jackfruit is key for local food security.During the same time Thirthahalli based NGO, Krishi Prayoga Parivara, also had organised ‘Halasu Utsava’ in Keladi.In the past three years, 30 such fests including a national fest, have been organised in Kerala and Karnataka.Other than the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS) in Bangalore, the ‘Jack Movement’ facilitating annual jackfruit fests is still being spearheaded by NGOs based in Kerala and Karnataka.Have these jack-related activities succeeded in securing a deserving place for Jackfruit ? There is a consensus in opinions that utilisation of jackfruit as a table fruit is increasing.Venkatakrishna Sharma says, he realised the soundness of his granny’s advise on jackfruits after visiting Jack fests.However, the absence of processed products to replace fresh jackfruit preparations is still a bottleneck in utilisation of this fruit.Though some substitute processed products are available in market, the trade volume is at negligible levels when compared to other processed fruit products, such as mango or even minor fruits.Shree Padre, who is also Editor of Adike Patrike, says if processed products have to reach optimum levels then government has to supplement ongoing efforts.“That policy makers still have inferiority feelings is revealed in a fact that jackfruit is not included in National Horticulture Mission (NHM),” he reveals.Jackfruit is still an orphan crop without any patronage.But a silent movement of jackfruit is on.For instance, the Horticulture Department is developing a gene-pool in Sirsi and will launch a ‘Jackfruit Directory’ soon with contact numbers of farmers owning best variety of jackfruit trees in Uttara Kannada district.The recent jack fairs on one hand are sensitising society not to waste such a useful fruit.They are also involved in training local women in adding value to Jackfruits, using of jack flake and jack seed flour -- which has an export market because they are gluten free and nutritious.Even without government patronage, jack fests, which are not a media-hype or a fad, will survive.“Because in heart-to-heart, farmers know they have wronged the fruit and hence it deserves a place,” Shree Padre says.Farmers like Sharma and Bhat are sure that jackfruit’s versatility will help it lead in fruit and vegetable map of the world in future.For now, the jackfruit’s vindication as a Kalpavruksha has begun.MODEL ‘JACK TOWNS’According to a conservative estimate, Karkala town in Udupi district sells 20,000 kgs of ‘Uppad Pachchil’ or ‘Uppusole’ in Kannada (unripe Jackfruit flakes preserved in brine) annually, a rage among members of Gowda Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community in Mumbai.A year ago, Kadamba Marketing Society in Sirsi, which organised three Jack fests, sold 1.5 lakh Jack pappads.The sale of Jackfruits, in its very first year, crossed 10,000 kgs.Panruti in Tamil Nadu is known popularly as ‘Jackfruit paradise of India’, for there is zero wastage of Jackfruits.QUEEN OF JACKFRUIT RECIPESRuchiruchiadige.blogspot.com, aayisrecipes.com, nsushma.blogspot.com are some of the popular websites with mouth-watering recipes for both ripe and unripe Jackfruits.Those interested in can contact queen of Jackfruit recipes Geetha Narasimha Bhat from Sirsi who knows over 300 recipes at 08183-231950