Q.1 Adike Patrike has been spear-heading a Jackfruit development movement over the last 10 years. It has been successful in networking with Indian grassroots jackfruit activists. Sir, could you introduce yourself and share some information about your magazine- Adike Patrike to our viewers?

Our magazine, Adike Patrike is 33 years old and is a unique experiment on journalism starting from writing articles, editing, publishing, and even distribution to some extent is shouldered by practising farmers. We started going behind jackfruit, researching, putting it on our top list about 14 years ago around 2007. At that time what we knew is that jackfruit deserves a far better place in society, at our dining table also in the industry. But unfortunately, we didn’t know much of the virtues of jackfruit. Unfortunately, we realised that it was being wasted.

Jackfruit is a versatile fruit. Variety of preparations can be made out of this. It is being wasted in a big way. So we wanted to change this situation. One of the things we thought of as a common media platform to bring the virtue of jackfruit in front of the world. We started searching for anything that will put jackfruit to better use, and anything that will bring more market for jackfruit.

Our first breakthrough was in 2007. In Kundapur, Karnataka, one farmer family started an industry of vacuum fried jackfruit which was unknown in the country at that time. We immediately covered the story. That was the beginning. Then we started our net search, asking people about anything jackfruit, inspiring people not to waste jackfruit, and to start using it and putting it on our dining table.

The second breakthrough we got was from the University of Agricultural Sciences (Bengaluru) when the earlier Vice Chancellor, Dr. K. Narayana Gowda was involved in a project in which they were expected to bring up the standard of farmers in particular Bengaluru rural area. Dr. Gowda included jackfruit development in that project and they taught farmers how to peel off jackfruit hygienically and sell it directly to consumers. They conducted jack festivals. By 2008 this farmers’ association was formed by the university. The estimated revenue from jackfruit in the belt posed around Rs. 3 Lakh. After 18 years in 2017 their revenue has increased to Rs. 28 Lakh.

Slowly things started changing in Kerala and Karnataka. Initially, the Jackfruit festival was started by Pura, an NGO from Wayanad, Kerala, and by the University of Agricultural Sciences (Bengaluru). These festivals spread out to Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu and that’s how it came into the limelight, attracting society’s attention towards it.

We started in a campaign mode extending this information to our readers. Being a monthly vernacular magazine, so far in 14 years, we have published not less than 34 cover stories on jackfruit, providing a small window to the whole world except in the jackfruit growing country like Thailand and Cambodia because of the language barrier. We also started publishing short stories on jackfruit and sent them to jackfruit lovers all over the world like journalists, IAS officers, Students, etc. Many journalists started taking our stories and slowly we had many partners, ambassadors either in form of a journalist, or an NGO, or FPOs.

We also started participating in jackfruit festivals. People started asking questions to us. To a certain extent, in the initial decade of jackfruit development, I’m happy to say Adike Patrike was a single source of information dissemination service.

There is also a well interconnected network of jackfruit lovers. We also have members from jackfruit growing countries like Sri Lanka, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. So far, it has become popular even at a global level and it is growing beyond expectations of any jackfruit lovers because everybody has understood that the present status of the jackfruit should not be its only status. It should get a very high place in society and now one after another we are learning about its virtues. The whole scenario is changing.

Q.2 Sir you refer to jackfruit as a ‘neglected crop’. According to you, how can micro-enterprises engaged in food processing be motivated to venture into the jackfruit processing industry?

The scope is very high. However, at this moment we are in the LKG on jackfruit development. If we talk about technology, we don’t have processing technology and we don’t have training centres. Our neighbouring country, Sri Lanka has 14 training centres that are giving training in jackfruit value additions. In Sri Lanka, 5000 people are pecking out their lives on fresh-cut jackfruits. Jackfruit is the one crop in the world so versatile, we can make variety of commercial products from jackfruit.

Jackfruit as a raw material has five raw materials i.e. tender jackfruit, which is popular as a vegetable. Unfortunately, we haven’t exploited it. Another is slightly grown with seeds still subtly sweet. Next is mature unripe jackfruit from which we make chips, namkeens, etc. The fourth one is the ripe sweet jackfruit which is used for table purposes. The last one is jackfruit seed. We haven’t exploited the seed which is being wasted. However, it is also a superfood with so many virtues.

So many industries can make products from it conveniently. The lessons we learned from Sri Lanka on a study conducted around 7-8 years ago have given us two Mantras of jackfruit development. These are Ready-to-Cook and Ready-to-Eat. Any edible product made out of jackfruit given with great packaging and branding skills, will make people queue up for relishing these products.

In Sri Lanka, training is being given to entrepreneurs to make RTC and RTE products from jackfruit. 40% of the tender jackfruit grown in Sri Lanka is converted into RTC and RTE form and is available for almost 9 months in any departmental stores in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, in India, such training and minimal processing technologies related to cutting the hardcover of the jackfruit are still not taken up.

Malaysia is pioneering in the RTE prepacked jackfruit bulbs. In Malaysia and Singapore fresh jackfruit is available throughout the year.

In our cities like Bangalore, Trivandrum, and Cochin where good connectivity, logistics and infrastructure are available, lies an opportunity for micro-enterprises to sell tender RTC jackfruit throughout the year. However, there is a lack of awareness among the people. In north India, people are still not aware of the various value additions in jackfruit.

There are numerous possibilities for micro-enterprises to explore in the jackfruit processing, one of them being in the minimal processing. We can take inspiration from Fiji Island, where maximum people are of Indian origin and they like consuming jackfruit. Many women in Fiji grow jackfruit in their backyard or buy from the market. They simply cleat it, peel it, chop it, pack them into packets, and sell them over social media. These women are contributing to the income generation of their families.

Brining of raw jackfruit is another potential area where micro-enterprises can exploit. The shelf life of the product is up to 1 year. In areas like Jharkhand, Odisha, Meghalaya, etc. where technology is not available, simply brining can help micro-enterprises earn money. These low-tech and low-investment valued added jackfruit products can be further explored.

Q.3 Your reporting norm is different from other farm journalists. You don’t believe in the traditional norm that journalists have to be spectators and not players in the developmental process. Sir, what inspires you to promote jackfruit?

This has been our policy since our magazine started. Our magazine is not just here to inform; it is to bring some change. Building up circulation is not our sole object, information should help bring in some positive change otherwise there is no point. So simply by just publishing and being a spectator don’t hold good to the tide of issues that we are dealing with. Since 1988, we have spearheaded many movements. One was for chemical-free farming. The second was ‘tending to the farmer’s hand’ which was inspiring and training farmers for life. Then on rainwater harvesting.

Value additions is another area where we have researched and worked a lot on jackfruit development. Now there are a lot of groups and people who have come into the jackfruit development process. Still we get calls about various aspects of jackfruit and we feel proud about it. We are also learners and we are also able to learn a lot of things.

We are working in whatever limitations we can. One thing that I’m very proud about is that over the saga of 14 years, there are many people we have inspired, co-workers who have us but without the participation of many players in the jackfruit development process, this would not have been achieved. We are just a connector among people who have sole-heartedly worked for the jackfruit development in this country.

Q.4 Throughout your journey in the jackfruit processing sector and with the immense experience that you have gathered over the period, sir could you share any remarkable achievement or success stories in India where value additions of jackfruit products have been made?

Seeing jackfruit as a commercial crop is a very new phenomenon in the whole world. In the jackfruit value addition map, India is still not there. However, let’s not be complacent. There are miles to go. But whatever is happening inside India, only three states that are Kerala, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are doing their best in value additions of jackfruit.

In Hyderabad, one gentleman called Venkateshawara Rao is who has been producing a product called ‘Panasa Puttu’ (shredded jackfruit) for the past 14 years. It is in high demand in the catering industry. This gentleman has been using small machines for cutting, peeling, and shredding. He has established a good market for his RTC jackfruit. He supplies it to caterers and restaurants. This was the first micro-level enterprise established in Hyderabad.

Another success story I can recall is of Navya Bakers in Kerala. They are making a product called ‘Jackfruit Chakka Varatti’ which is like kheer. Another is Artocarpus Foods Private Ltd. Most of the products are made of jackfruits like pulp for the ice cream industry, juice, cupcakes, peda, halwa, pickle, and powders. Their jackfruit pulp, an unknown concept in Kerala 6 years ago, has become the talk of the town. This company is supplying the jackfruit pulp in not more than 3 dozens of food processing companies. The company has painstakingly created a huge market for jackfruit pulp and today Artocarpus Foods is producing jackfruit pulp throughout the year by sourcing jackfruit from different areas.

Similar kinds of success stories can be found in Maharashtra concerning jackfruit pulp. Maharashtrian entrepreneurs have standardised the jackfruit pulping process.

Sri Lanka has mastered jackfruit curries. Vietnam is the leader in producing jackfruit vacuum fried chips in the world.

Jackfruit processing is an emerging field; we have been witnessing many enterprises coming up with many value-added products made out of jackfruit. However, many areas like dehydrated jackfruit products, jackfruit seeds products are areas where micro-enterprises can tap into.

Q.5 Sir what are your thoughts on various potential innovative technologies that can help micro-enterprises in jackfruit processing?

Unfortunately, we as a country are not ready to give impetus to the micro food enterprises in jackfruit processing because of a lack of awareness and training. Recently, we have started working towards creating awareness and training. However, there is a negligible increase in the training at the national level. India, being the motherland for jackfruit cultivation, can take solid steps in this direction. Since jackfruit is present all-round the years; we can provide training all around the year. A couple of KVKs should be entrusted with providing jackfruit value additions training to the farmers and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Today many people don’t have a clear-cut idea about value-added products that can be made out of jackfruit. Technology, awareness, and handholding support are lacking. If we widen our horizons and look at the success stories of our neighbouring countries, we can learn more about it.

We need industry trainers to bring out value-added jackfruit products that can make jackfruit value-added products available at the national level. For that we need to upgrade training facilities, incubation centres, creating awareness, and building up a good model in each state that inspires other entrepreneurs to start venturing out in this industry.

About Shree Padre, Executive Editor, Adike Patrike

Shree Padre is a farmer by profession and a journalist by obsession. He has been zealously documenting positive information about the jackfruit from all over the world. Under his editorship, a unique Kannada farm magazine, Adike Patrike is running. Adike Patrike’s efforts to continuously bring forth positive aspects of Jackfruit has created a new interest among farmers, administration, and development officials. So far in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra, he has given more than 100 PPT presentations on jackfruit development. Shree Padre is also a senior contributor to National English magazine, ‘Civil Society.’ He has written 3 cover stories and numerous development features for the magazine. Shree has written two books on Jackfruit, one in Kannada and one in English and he has been conferred the title of ‘Global Ambassador for Jackfruit’ by the Jackfruit Promotion Council of Kerala.

(Content shared by Shree Padre, Executive Editor, Adike Patrike)