Adding value to jackfruit
James P. Mathew has over 60 jackfruit trees in his farm at Kanhirapuzha in Palakkad district. Every year, the farmer and his family watch the fruits ripen and fall to the ground where they end up rotting.Mr. Mathew had half a mind to cut down the trees, but then he thought of processing the fruit into value-added products. Last year, he approached the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) with a project to manufacture wine from jackfruit. With an assistance of Rs.3.5 lakh that was sanctioned by the council, Mr. Mathew successfully completed a pilot project, only to discover that he would need a licence from the Excise Department to market the wine that has an alcohol content of 12.4 per cent.The farmer is now awaiting the government's response to his request to exempt jackfruit wine from the purview of the Abkari Act. The pilot project required little investment and employed a simple technology using sugar, water, spices, potassium meta bisulphate and yeast to make wine."Out of the 30 lakh jackfruits that are produced in Kerala every year, more than half are allowed to perish. There are few buyers for this tasty and highly nutritious fruit and farmers earn no income. By processing the fruit into a range of value-added products, the farmers can be assured of a regular income from the trees. Besides generating employment, it will also ensure the survival of this endemic species that requires virtually no care or maintenance".Mr. Mathew, who heads the Kanhirapuzha Grama Panchayat Farm Club, says the seeds of jackfruit could also be used to make food products. "The waste generated from the process could help produce vermicompost", he added.Mr. Mathew is planning to apply for a patent on the jackfruit wine."A couple of companies have approached me for the technology," he said.
The Hindu, 25th July 2009
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