JACK FRUIT FARMERS
Infusion of post-harvest technology and value addition could open up global business opportunities for Jack fruit farmers in Kerala and help them reap handsome returns. Mr Ken Love, president,Hawaii Tropical fruits like Jack fruit, careless handling and poor packaging could make fruits and value added products unacceptable for potential markets.
The value addition process should start from the tree itself. Mr Love whose association produces 168 varieties of fruits from 750 farms spread over the U.S. Mr Love produces over 150 different products from his farm produce that include jack fruit. They have three jack fruit-based products,namely dried jack, jelly and carpel in sugar syrup. All of them have a shelf life of six years.
Mr Love holds the Guiness record for producing the largest Jack fruit of 39 kg. He said the Panduruthy variety weighing more than 50 kg from Tamil Nadu could make it to the Guiness Book if documents were submitted.
Technology, could help farmers reach out to consumers across the world. He cited the example of local harvest.org, a website that would help consumers locate farmers' markets, family farms and other sources of sustainably grown crops in the U.S and shop for organic food and grassfed meat.
The website also hosts a community-supported agriculture initiative to promote seasonal farm produce by directly linking farmers to consumers. The website not only lists market information,but also offers the facility to order products. It has helped small farmers stay in business. he said. Mr Love said that post-harvesting technology was imperative to reduce the wastage of Jack fruit in Kerala. The immense market potential for powdered jack fruit seed was something that farmers could exploit.
Prof. John Kurakar
Infusion of post-harvest technology and value addition could open up global business opportunities for Jack fruit farmers in Kerala and help them reap handsome returns. Mr Ken Love, president,Hawaii Tropical fruits like Jack fruit, careless handling and poor packaging could make fruits and value added products unacceptable for potential markets.
The value addition process should start from the tree itself. Mr Love whose association produces 168 varieties of fruits from 750 farms spread over the U.S. Mr Love produces over 150 different products from his farm produce that include jack fruit. They have three jack fruit-based products,namely dried jack, jelly and carpel in sugar syrup. All of them have a shelf life of six years.
Mr Love holds the Guiness record for producing the largest Jack fruit of 39 kg. He said the Panduruthy variety weighing more than 50 kg from Tamil Nadu could make it to the Guiness Book if documents were submitted.Technology, could help farmers reach out to consumers across the world. He cited the example of local harvest.org, a website that would help consumers locate farmers' markets, family farms and other sources of sustainably grown crops in the U.S and shop for organic food and grassfed meat.
The website also hosts a community-supported agriculture initiative to promote seasonal farm produce by directly linking farmers to consumers. The website not only lists market information,but also offers the facility to order products. It has helped small farmers stay in business. he said. Mr Love said that post-harvesting technology was imperative to reduce the wastage of Jack fruit in Kerala. The immense market potential for powdered jack fruit seed was something that farmers could exploit.
Prof. John Kurakar
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