Jackfruit, the official state fruit of Kerala, is known to have originated in India's western ghats. The largest fruit produced by a tree is rich in nutrients. Every component of this fruit or tree has nutritional and economic value.
The national fruit of Kerala is becoming more and more well-known throughout the world as a "superfood" meat substitute, creating a huge opportunity for Keralan farmers and exporters. According to National Horticultural Board statistics, Kerala produced the second-most jackfruit in 2021–22, with a share of about 14.01%, yet the state loses 35 crores worth of jackfruit each year.
To further tap the export potential of fruit and to strengthen the supply chain between producers and exporters to foray and expand the opportunities, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) organized a seminar in Ernakulam “Export promotion on Jack fruit & its value-added products."
The General Manager of APEDA, V.K. Vidyarthi told Krishi Jagran that Jackfruit is mainly originated in India and that too specifically in southern parts of the country. But still, there is a lack of knowledge about the proper utilization, processing, and evaluation of Jackfruit.
He further added, “We are working with the exporters of APEDA in the south and doing awareness programs as well as providing them with platforms. We are also doing trial shipments and marketing the fruit in the international market. We are spreading awareness that India has a good production base of Jackfruit.”
“Jackfruit is an important raw material for vegan products. We do have raw materials available but we have to work on making jackfruit a vegan product. Jackfruit has a meat-like texture and with the right process and flavor add-ons, we can work on making jackfruit a substitute for meat,” he said.
In both mainstream and ethnic markets around the world, jackfruit is rising in popularity. Regarding the export situation, India shipped different fresh fruits, including Jackfruit, valued at 388.41 million US dollars in 2021–2022 Around 7.1 percent of total, or 27.67 million US dollars, belongs to Kerala. The main markets for fresh fruits coming from India are Bangladesh, the UAE, Iran, and Nepal, whereas the main markets for fresh fruits coming from Kerala are the Maldives, the UAE, Qatar, Germany, and the USA, among other places.
The jackfruit is predicted to become the most sought-after fruit in the next years due to the increased awareness of the fruit's nutritional and health benefits. Kerala has the potential to become into one of India's top producing and exporting states for jackfruit.
