THE PROGRAMME

1. 'Chakkavandi Prayan' (Jackfruit vehicle journey) Prior to the actual festival, a unique proclamation programme named 'Chakkavandi Prayan' (Jackfruit vehicle journey) was conducted from April 29 to May 20, 2012. It was inaugurated by Smt. Kanathil Jameela, President, Kozhikode District Panchayat at NIRAVU, Vengeri on 29. 04. 12. The journey visited various places in Kozhikode district and demonstrated/conducted Jackfruit value added Products training.

REPORT OF THE STATE JACKFRUIT FESTIVAL 201223 - 27 May 2012, Govt. Model HSS, Mananchira, Kozhikode, Kerala

INTRODUCTION

Jackfruit is the largest fruit with various uses and act as a key element in food security. However through time the significance and usage of Jackfruit has come down. Isolated efforts might have taken place to promote jackfruit during this period. Probably the first jackfruit festival in the world was conducted at URAVU, Wayanad, Kerala during 2006. In 2009, a district jackfruit festival was conducted at NIRAVU, Vengeri. The first concerted effort in this regard was the National Jackfruit Festival held in Thiruvananthapuram during 2011. The joint efforts of Govt. departments/ agencies and NGOs made the programme a grand success. All those who were involved in the festival unanimously felt the need for a forum to continue with the objectives of the festival. Thus a wide platform named Jackfruit Promotion Council (JPC) was formed and registered as a society with maximum stake holder's participation. The state Jackfruit festival 2012 at Kozhicode was an initiative of JPC and Uravu, Wayanad happily came forward to be the chief organizer. Santhigram, Thiruvananthapuram presently running the coordination office of JPC under took the project and finance coordination.

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2. Quiz, Drawing and Painting competitions

With Sri M A Johnson and Prof. T. Sobhindran as quiz masters, a quiz competition was

conducted at Planetarium premises, Kozhikode on 21 May 2012. On the same day a

was conducted at the press club Kozhikode where Prof. T. Sobhindran (Working Chairman), M.

BabuRaj (General Convener), M.A. Johnson (Program Coordinator), L.Pankajakshan (Director,

Santhigram & General Secretary, JPC) , Sri. Valsan Nellicode, Dr. Devadas, Gandhigramam, Wayanad

were present. In the forenoon of 23 May, a drawing and painting competition was organized at GLP

School, Balussery, Kozhikode by MINAVET Institute of Animation Design, Balussery.

press conference

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3. Chakkavaravu (JF Processions)

The formal programme started with the arrival and reception to various JF Processions (Chakkavaravu) in

the afternoon of 23 May. The first team arrived by train from Thiruvananthapuram where the first National

Jackfruit festival was held. Prof. Shobhindran and others received the team at Kozhikode Railway Station. The team from Thrikkaipetta (Uravu), Wayanad where the first

jackfruit festival was held in 2006, came by lorry accompanied by Adivasi Dance and Thudi. The team was

received at Kozhikode Mofussil Bus stand by Sri, Babu Parambath. Sri. Valsan Nellikode received the teams from

Thanoor, Malappuram (with Duffthamuttu) and from Kannur (with Theiyyam). The flag and symbolic jackfruit

from Niravu, Vengeri where the first jackfruit festival was held in 2009 which was brought by van with Chenda was also received by Sri. Valsan Nellikode.

4. Chakkavaravu Ghoshayathra (JF March)

All the teams and organizers of the festival joined together at the indoor stadium and a procession (Chakkavaravu Ghoshayathra) was taken to the venue of the festival, Govt. Model HSS Kozhikode. flagged off the procession/ March through coronation theatre - city commissioner office, Muthalakkulam – P M Taj Road – S M street – Kidson Corner – Centre library – Vaikom Muhammed Basheer Road and Town Hall. The procession was led by Sri. Zackariya P Hussian, Sri. Pottangadi Kishan Chand, Sri. K Sathyanathan, Smt. Anitha Rajan Councilors of the Kozhikode Corporation, members of Niravu, Darsanam and the organizing committee leaders.

Sri. Spargen kumar IPS, District Police Commissioner

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5. 'Kodiyettam' (The festival flag hoisting)

The festival flag was hoisted ('Kodiyettam') by , Worshipful Mayor, Corporation of Kozhikode in the presence of Sri. P Kishan Chand, councilor, Corporation of Kozhikode. This was followed by various cultural programs.

Prof. A K Premajam

6. INAUGURAL SESSION

Due to the 'harthal', against petrol price hike, the inaugural session was postponed to 6 pm on 24 May, 2012. The inaugural session at 6 pm started with a folk song ('Chakkapattu'), by Sri. Pramod Mankavu. Sri. M Baburaj , General Convener, State Jackfruit Festival, welcomed the gathering. Smt. Kanathil Jameela, President, District Panchayat Kozhikode, presided over the function. The inauguration was unique and a Jackfruit was symbolically cut by 12 internationally well known Sculptors from various States of India, namely, Sri. K S Radhakrishnan (New Delhi), Sri. PK Rajan (Thrissur), Sri. Rajendra Kumar Tikku (Kashmir), Sri. Athwaida Prasad Kharamayi (Bhuvaneswar), Sri. Pradeep Kammath (Karnataka), Smt. Deepika Saha (Thripura), Sri. Sourav Jhana (Calcutta), Sri. Nandu Bihari Das (Calcutta), Sri. Joseph Bergamose and Sri. Johns Mathew. Sri. K S Radhakrishnan, Director Sculptors Camp delivered the inaugural address on behalf of the sculptors. The cultural program was inaugurated by Sri. PK Gopi, State President, Yuva Kala Sahithi and food festival by Sri. Rufuz Daniel, Chairperson JPC and Vice President Thiruvananthapuram District Panchayat. The book “Chakka Mahathmyam” (Legacy of Jackfruit) authored by Sri. K.G Balan Wayanad was released by Dr. AK Abdul Khader (Retd. Prof. MCH) and received by Sri. Shree Padre, Editor Adike Pathrike Karnataka. Felicitations were offered by Dr. Devadas, Gandhi Gramam, Wayanad and Sri. K K Thomas, Chief volunteer, GRAMA Farmer's Club Bharanaganam, Pala. Sri. Valsan Nellikode thanked the gathering.

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7. SOUTH INDIAN WORKSHOP

As part of JF Festival on 25 May 2012 at Nalanda Tourist Home, Kozhikode the South Indian workshop on Jackfruit for Food and Social Security was conducted. Sri. P T Mathew, State President, Kerela Gr ama Pa ncha yat h A ssocia tion & Pr e s id en t , Na duv i l GP , Ka n n ur inaugurated the workshop. The meeting was chaired by Sri. Baby John, Director MCITRA. Dr. KV Muhammad Kunhi, Scientist Malabar Botanical Garden Society welcomed the gathering. Sri. Thayattu Ba lan, Pres ident Kera la Sarvodaya Mandalam, Rev. Fr. Sebastion Karakkat, Director Jeevana - CDSSS and Sri CP Abdul Rahman, Convenor Kerala Jaiva Karshaka Samithi offered felicitations. Sri.VK Rajan Nair State Convener, Organic Farmer's Association of India proposed vote of thanks.

The first technical session was presided over by Dr. Neena Thakur, Deputy Director, Directorate of Areca nut & Spices development, Minist ry of Agriculture, GoI. The following papers were presented.

1. Global scenario of Jack fruit: Scope for processing & value addition Sri. Shree Padre- (Editor, Adike Pathrike, Karnataka)

Sri. Shree Padre presented an overview of jackfruits and the presence of value added products in countries like Srilanka, Vietnam and Malaysia. In Srilanka the jackfruit tree is held in high esteem and there is legal restriction for cutting the trees. In Vietnam there are several orchards growing jackfruits.He mentioned that in low rainfall areas sweeter and tastier jackfruits are obtained. In such places Soft-carpelled JFs are nil / negligible. In Heavy Rainfall Area (HRA), Soft carpelled types are totally wasted. The jackfrguits need to be used for table purpose & fresh marketing by Minimal Processing.

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Soft-capelled, Low tasted & Irregular shaped jacks from HRA need to be diverted for non table purposes. In Heavy Rainfall Areas like Kerala soft-carpelled jackfruits are mostly unutilized. Special efforts need to be made to make best use of soft-fleshed type ( ).

In South India Panruti ,TamilNadu is the where innovative methods are practiced traditionally. A pruning/ thinning system is adopted at the very tender stage of jackfruit where few JF are only retained to ensure maximum size. There is a well organized marketing system and there is zero wastage Why thinning ? * For uniform size , shape & quality. * To induce production of catkins profusely. If all Tender Jacks are allowed

more fruit-borer infestation. Poor development of fruits. withering of branches / drying of younger trees in summer

Fresh bulb vendors hygiene is suspect. This keeps a god section of customers away.Mr. Karunakaran, a typical farmer of Panruti has 6.5 acres of jackfruit orchards. The trees are aged 20 years and he has an average annual income of Rs. 5 lakhs. Sri. Sadananda, another farmer is making efforts to obtain jackfruit through out the year by developing all season jackfruits. Most of us do not consume jackfruit not because we don't like it. We have some kind of a mental block and has developed an inferiority complex about it. Serious collective efforts are required to get rid of this inferiority complex, which is the need of the hour. It is estimated that there are 20 million NRI Indians. Among them Keralites and others from jackfruit growing areas are significantly high. For them jackfruit is a live symbol of nostalgia and would snatch any opportunity to consume jackfruit in one form or other. If a proper supply chain is planned and developed Kerala can promote Jackfruit along with tourism industry. It is possible to make fresh fruits available for 365 days in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. Our Universities/ Research organizations claim that they have developed scores of VA products from Jackfruit. The agricultural universities and Research Institutions have spent significant amount of money and man power for these research efforts. But unfortunately the results of the research has not percolated to the field level and no worthy commercialization has taken place.It is high time to analyze what actually has gone wrong and look into the following aspects.

Why these haven't clicked? Where exactly lies the limitation / challenge? Make this research result-oriented n farmer friendly. Adopt a 'bottom to top' approach.

Koozhachakka

Jackfruit Paradise

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• Why - what is achieved by smaller countries is not possible for us - at least to some extent?

Tender JF is now available round the year in the cities of Punjab and many cities of North India. It is estimated that in another two years the total demand in Punjab will raise Twenty Fold. Recipes of one area isn't known in other. Documentation & Publication of local recipes and Popularizing household consumption are positive steps towards facilitating Local Food Security.

There are various types of jackfruits like that of mangoes. But unfortunately the features of each variety are not sufficiently known. Some of this varieties are Black Gold, Mastura , Honey Jack, Then varikka, Chembarathi varikka.

The promoters of jackfruit need to specifically interact with chefs to ensure that recipes from jackfruit become part of the menu in prominent hotels. We need to identify probable big customers and think big. Unfortunately our thinking is within a old box. We need to take innovative steps which has not been done before.

Varieties

Market

2 Sr. Scientist Horticulture & UNU - Kirin

Fellow Japan Indian Institute of Horticultural Research , Bangalore

. Technology of Osmo – Dehydration-Dr. R.B. Tiwari,

Dr. R.B. Tiwari, introduced the technology of Osmo – Dehydration (OD). A large variety and amount of fruits and vegetables are grown in India. Among fruits mango, banana, citrus, apple, guava, papaya grape, and pineapple are the major ones. Other fruits are pomegranate sapota, annona, phalsa, jackfruit, ber in tropical and sub tropical groups and peach, pear, almond, walnut, apricot and strawberry. All types of vegetables are produced in one region or other depending on the geographical and climatic conditions.Fruits and vegetables play an important role towards the making of a balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables of the vitamin C and of vitamin A in the world. To get the maximum nutritional benefits from fruits and vegetables, it is important to find ways to eat more serving of vegetables and fruits per dayEat plenty of fruits and vegetables

aonla, -

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Processing & Value AdditionTransformation of a product to fetch a premium priceCreate and exploit market demandTime, form and region dependentGuided by effective market and consumer researchRequires imaginative and versatile adjustments

Changing socio-economic conditionsUrbanization and migration of rural farm labourChanging food habits and lifestyleConcentration of wealth and disposable incomeQuality and health consciousnessPreferences ethnic food

Food processing industry is of enormous significance for India's development as it links between the pillars of the economy, industry and agriculture.

Ready-to-eat food, beverages, processed and frozen fruit and vegetable products have gained significance in the recent past.State of the art technology in the production line is being developed to meet quality requirements.

Osmo- technology of air dried fruits are the dehydrated fruit products based on the novel approach in dehydrationOs

The process is simple and involves operations like selection of fruits, cleaning, washing, peeling, curing and slicing/dicing. The prepared fruit slices are soaked in concentrated sugar solution ( 50-70o Brix) to remove water by osmotic pressure.Then the slices are drained and dried in hot air drier. The dried samples are packed in flexible pouches.

AdvantagesQuality improvementBetter color and flavor

RetentionEnergy savingMore NutritiousLess bulkyBetter Shelf -life

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Food Processing

Food processing is where business meets agriculture.

Osmo – Dehydration of JackfruitDehydration

motic Dehydration Process

Osmo-air DehydrationOsmo-air Dehydration process is a two step method of preserving fruits:

Partial dehydration of the fruit by osmosisFinal drying by use of air-dryers

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Jack Fruit

“nutrient of the giants

Importance of the technology, present problem and status

Jackfruit-Value added Products

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Jackfruit is a major tropical fruit. Fully ripe jackfruit is sweet and has an exotic flavour. Contain 22% carbohydrate. (fibrous and composed of mono, di &polysaccharide.)Contain simple sugars –glucose, sucrose, fructose which provide instant energy.Jackfruit is referred as the poor man's food as well as the ” due to its nutrient composition and size. Rich in fibre, Calcium, Phosphorous, iron, Potassium and Magnesium, Manganese etc. Good source of Beta carotene, Vitamin C & B Complex vitamins.

Jackfruit - Prospect of value additionIn South India, Jackfruit is a popular fruit ranking next to Mango and Banana. It has a wide range of uses such as for human consumption, animal feeds and the tree is used for timber.Fully ripe jackfruit is sweet and has an exotic flavor.Tender and mature jackfruit is used as a vegetable and served as a substitute for the staple food rice or as a side dish. There are a large no: of dishes made from jackfruit with regional variations.There is no organized marketing or steady supply chain for jackfruit.Harvesting is difficult and transportation from interior places is difficult.India is 2nd in jackfruit production in world but is very slow in commercialization of this valued fruit.Very little is being processed and is mainly used in jackfruit growing states/ regions and does not reach non traditional areas.

Jackfruit is grown throughout Kerala and in parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In Karnataka jackfruit trees are found in six districts of the State including Mandya, Mysore and Bangalore. The fruit comes to bearing between March & August and a large proportion of fruits are lost through spoilage.Ripe fruits are used for nectar and jams. Unripe fruits are also used for culinary preparations like chips, pickles, etcIf we look at jackfruit on a consumer point of view, then we find that there are a section of people who like to eat the fruit but feel difficulty as:

the fruit is too big, fruit venders sell peaces on the road side which lack hygiene, Cutting and scooping out edible portion is cumbersome.

Hence, osmotically dehydrated jackfruit slices can provide convenience for consumers. Since, the edible portion as fresh bulbs is approximately 30–35% of the whole fruit and after osmotic dehydration there will be further 1/3rd reduction in weight as compared to fresh bulbs. Therefore, there will be very high reduction in transportation and packaging costs.

Ready to serve beverages Jackfruit Nector

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Clarified JuiceJackfruit preserve & candiesJackfruit barDehydrated jackfruit bulbs & flakesJackfruit pappads, pickles, chipsJackfruit jams & jelliesJack fruit sweetmeatsJackfruit Wine & VinegarCanned Jackfruit products

To standardize the process for making osmotically dehydrated slices from jackfruit.To study the physico-chemical and sensory quality during storage.

Demand for natural like, convenient fruits and vegetable products are increasing. Osmo-air dried jackfruit slices is such a product. This will not only help the farmers to utilize and earn income from the perishable raw material but also generate more employment opportunities in rural areas.Processing of jackfruit bulbs into osmotically dehydrated slices is one such option as the technology is very well suited for small scale processing in rural areas.

Osmo-air dried fruits are the dehydrated fruit products based on the novel approach towards dehydration. First stage in osmotic dehydration is removal of water using concentrated osmotic medium ( sugar syrup) followed by dehydration of osmosed slices using hot air drier to a moisture content about 15%. The quality of osmotically dehydrated product is near to the fresh fruit in terms of colour, flavour and texture. It can be consumed as a snack. Such products can be used in ready to eat type of foods, ice creams, fruit salad, kheer, cakes, bakery products etc.

Importance of processed food at the time of scarcity of food emergency and natural calamities The processed food products play an important role during the time of food emergency and natural calamitiesThe requirement of food is very high and it will not be possible to prepare fresh food to feed the affected populationFor preparing food it is required to procure large quantity of ingredient, container for cooking as well as facility for cooking which is difficult to arrange immediately.Hence, more processed food should be used.

Genetic variabilityDifficulty in collection of fruits Separation of bulbs from the rinds

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Objectives for development of technology

About 11-12 kg ripe fruits are required to make one kg of osmo-air dried slices and shelf life of product is 1 year under ambient conditions.

Need for development of new technology

Brief note on the methodology followed for development

Use of processed Food &Vegetable products

Constraints in Jackfruit processing

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Uncertainty and variability of yield and qualitySeasonality of the fruit Labour intensive Limited marketing potential at present

Osmotically dehydrated jackfruit slicesOsmotically dehydrated mango slicesOsmotically dehydrated pineapple slicesOsmotically dehydrated papaya slicesOsmotically dehydrated slicesOsmotically dehydrated guava slicesOsmotically dehydrated carrot slicesOsmotically dehydrated pumpkin slices

Usually deep fried snacks called as which have been evolved over a period of time.Commercially exploited on a wide scale.High in fat, salt, sugarProblem of oxidative rancidity resulting in short self lifeFruits & vegetables are store house of micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.Fruits & vegetables also provides phytonutrients and fibre which are of vital health significanceThey help in prevention of micronutrient malnutrition and certain chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cataract and cancer.

Fresh fruits are nutritionally superior to fruit juices3. Genetic variability and biodiversity : Conservation of Jack Fruit - Dr. Benjamin Mathew, Subject Matter Specialist, Bappuji Krishi Vijanan Kendra, Idukki There are numerous varieties and sub – varieties of jackfruit. The major division is into “varikka and koozha in Malayalam. The koozha is rather a wasted variety. There are also varieties specific to regions. Although jackfruit is considered to be a seasonal fruit the season varies between regions. Scientific research on various aspects of jackfruit have been on going. Varieties that provides the fruits in two seasons, through out the year and gumless variety are some examples. However these innovations have not become popular. Jackfruit trees contribute significantly to biodiversity. Only in very few places we come across exclusive jackfruit orchards. Otherwise the trees grow along with coconut, mango and other trees. A peculiarity of jackfruit tree is that it is seldom consciously planted but it naturally comes up.

Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables - Options

Traditional Indian Snack

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3. Genetic variability and biodiversity : Conservation of Jack Fruit

Dr. Benjamin Mathew- , Subject Matter Specialist, Bappuji Krishi Vijanan Kendra, Idukki There are numerous varieties and sub – varieties of jackfruit. The major division is into “varikka and koozha in Malayalam. The koozha is rather a wasted variety. There are also varieties specific to regions. Although jackfruit is considered to be a seasonal fruit the season varies between regions.

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Scientific research on various aspects of jackfruit have been on going. Varieties that provides the fruits in two seasons, through out the year and gumless variety are some examples. However these innovations have not become popular. Jackfruit trees contribute significantly to biodiversity. Only in very few places we come across exclusive jackfruit orchards. Otherwise the trees grow along with coconut, mango and other trees. A peculiarity of jackfruit tree is that it is seldom consciously planted but it naturally comes up.

4. Experiences of Vacuum Fry chips industrySri. Rohit Kodgi- , Executive Director, Gokul fruits

Pvt. Ltd, Kundapur, KarnatakaOrigin

Entered Cashew Industries Started as Gokul Cashews in the year 1991Providing Premium and Quality cashewsExporting to countries like Japan

Next phase…Diversifying our experienceStarted Gokul Fruits Pvt Ltd in the year 2005Entry to Vacuum Fry IndustryUnique Products like – Jackfruit, Kabuli Channa

Vacuum FryUnique technologyHelps in retaining

ColorTasteAroma and Nutrients

Distinctive featuresUnique productsTasty and Good qualityRecognition in the marketHealthy, as the product doesn't consume much oil

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ProblemsLabor Oriented – increasing labor costSeasonal fruit Transportation cost – min of 25kms radiusGrading plays a critical roleBreak even unfeasibleVacuum fry is of high energy consumption

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The presentation were lively and the participants raised clarifications and made positive comments.

AFTERNOON SESSION

The afternoon session was on successful case studies in Jack fruit Products- Diversification and value addition. Advocate Supreme Court and Founder President, Foundation for Indian Wet Lands chaired the session and Prof. Sobeendran welcomed the gathering. The following case studies were introduced.

Sri MK Balakrishnan

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5. Possibilities and need for Mechanization of Plantation crops in Kerala with special reference to JF & Demonstration of Jackfruit harvesting tool

-Dr. M. Siva Swami:

(Dean, Kelappagi CoA Engineering & Technology, Thavanoor).

Dr. M. Siva Sami detailed the difficulties faced in collection of fruits like coconut and jackfruit in the contexts of diminishing labor availability and increasing labor cost. Further the crude form of collection of jackfruits invariably affects the quality of the fruit. He demonstrated a jackfruit harvesting tool developed to reduce the burden.

6. Lessons from Sri Lanka-Sri. Shree Padre,

7. Scope & Possibilities of JF chips making-Smt. B Shailaja,

: Editor, Adike Patrike, Karnataka

Srilanka is probably the country where jackfruit has an esteemed status. It is called rice tree and form an integral part of their food. Interestingly the major consumption method is that of tender jackfruit and mature jackfruit as dishes. There are a large no: of industries both small scale and large scale specializing in the production of value added products from jackfruit. The products are consumed within the country. Items like tender jackfruit in brine are very popular. The Govt. has controlled the cutting of jackfruit trees and the trees can be cut only when certain conditions are kept.

: Alpha Food Products, Balaramapuram, Thiruvananthapuram

Alpha Food products has been involved in the manufacture and sale of fried mature peels of jackfruit bulbs for more than 20 years. The unit is working as a small scale industry with SSI registration. The unit has developed a procurement chain for procuring jackfruits and also a system for processing. Every day two vans go early morning and purchase jackfruits with an experienced plucker to cut them down. By noon the van returns and say 5 jackfruits each are delivered to house holds who process the jackfruit. The raw material for chips is collected in the evening and fried the same day. The chips are packed next day and delivery vans take it to retail shops in Thiruvananthapuram districts. A part of the chips produced are also sold to whole sale merchants. The business is purely on cash basis.

The experienced staff of the unit by practice are aware about the availability of jackfruits in Thiruvananthapuram, neighboring Kollam district and neighboring Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu. This ensures the availability of jackfruit from 8 to 10 months. The owner of the jackfruit tree gets an income which otherwise would have become a wasted product.The large no: of women who process the jackfruit get an income from a task based at home. There are no hazards associated with the task. They also get fresh jackfruit vegetable which can go into their daily diet. The external cover and other waste is a good cattle feed. The jackfruit seeds are also collected and sold in bulk.

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8. Experiment of VA training:-Sri K.G. Balan,

9. Jack Tree plantation: Traditional waysSri. K.R. Jayan (Plavu Jayan)

Chief coordinator, Ruchi Karshaka Kootayma, Wayanad

Uravu, Wayanad is a prominent non governmental organization committed to the cause of bamboo cultivation, production of value added products from bamboo and the welfare of the poor and marginalized. During the course of their interventions the URAVU team learned the importance of jackfruits in the people's lives and the abundant availability of fruits. They also found that jackfruit is vanishing from the diet of the people and that the fruit goes waste and the farmer is devoid of any income. Ruchi Karshaka Kootayma was formed as a response to the above situation with the understanding that ready to eat value added products from jackfruit have potential market. It was also found that ordinary women can be trained in the production of value added products from jackfruit and use various parts of the fruit. The Kootayma has identified large no: of delicacies which formed an integral part of Malayali menu and developed modern products. Training has been given to large no: of groups all over Kerala in value addition of jackfruit. Uravu and the kootayma conducted the first jackfruit festival years back with live demonstration of preparation of delicacies, competition for preparation of novel items and identification of the jackfruit with the highest weight.

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I have been involved in the promotion of jackfruit especially the planting of jackfruit saplings in my home district of Thrissur and lately all over Kerala. I have been spending considerable time in identifying different traditional and local varieties of jackfruit which are getting extinct. I have a large collection of jackfruit varieties in my home yard and promote the cultivation of jackfruit trees through distribution of seeds and naturally grown plants. Unfortunately universities and other research institutions are only promoting hybrid varieties which I believe in the long run is detrimental to the cause conservation of jackfruit trees. This conservation is crucial in the context of food security and biodiversity.

Sri M.Baburaj (Uravu), General Convener SJFF thanked the gathering.

8. OPEN FORUM & CULTURAL PROGRAMS

In the evening an open forum on Jack Fruit for Food and Social Security was held at Govt.Model H.S.S

Mananchira. Dr KV Mohammad Kunhi welcomed the gathering and Prof. Shobhidran introduced the

topic. er State Minister for LSGI's inaugurated the forum. Following

persons participated in the ensuing discussion. Sri. K P Sunny (Idukki)Dr. M . Siva Swami,(Dean, Kelappagi CoA Engineering & Technology, Thavanoor)Dr. Neena Thakur, Dy. Director, Directorate of Areca nut & Spices Development,Dr. Pradeepkumar, Scientist, CWRDM, KozhikodeSri. Meenakshi Sundaram, Tree Growers Association, TN Dr. Devadas, Gandhigramam, Wayanad

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Sri Kutty Ahamad Kutty, Form

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Sri. K.R. Jayam (Plavu Jayan), ThrissurSri Sivaraj, Tree Growers Association, TNSmt. Sethulekshmi, Chevayoor, KKDAdv. MK Balakrishnan, Founder President, Foundation for Indian wetlands.Sri. K Ashraf, Junior Agricultural officer, Kannur

A book on Chakka, authored by Dr. Devadas and published by GandhiGram Wayanad was released by Sri. Meenakshi Sundaram by handing a copy to Sri. Valsan Nellicode. Sri. L Pankajakshan General Secretary JPC proposed a vote of thanks. In the open forum the speakers shared their experiences on jackfruit. Everyone had nostalgic feelings about their childhood when jackfruit was a key component of the daily diet during season. The speakers lauded the efforts of Jackfruit promotion Council and other organizers of the festival in taking up the cause of jackfruit and offered all support.

The open forum was followed by

The variety of Dance and songs performed by children was well appreciated by audience. This program was directed by Sri. KT Harish Kumar, Guinness book of records winner Dance)

cultural programs presented by Pratheeksha Residents Association, Koya Road, West Hill, Kozhicode.

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9. COMPETITION ON BIGGEST JACK FRUIT

The sales and exhibitions of Jackfruit and Jackfruit Products continued on 26 May, 2012. A competition on biggest Jack Fruit by weight was conducted. Sri. Faizal, Thaimas from Kalpetta secured the first prize for his Jackfruit weighing 44.5Kg. The second prize was bagged by Sri KK Asokan, from Green World, Vengeri with his JackFruit weighing 40Kgms. Interestingly the largest Jack Fruit in Guiness Book of World Records weigh only 34.40Kg.

10. COOKERY COMPETITION

Th i s w a s fol l ow e d by co o ke r y competitions in which several forgott en traditional recipes and very innovative recipes were cooked and exhibited. Smt.K. Dhana Lekshmi. Sri. KG Balan and sri. Anil kumar were the Judges. The major att ract ion of the competition was the use of Jackfruit seeds, shell and other parts apart from bulbs.

11. OPEN FORUM & CULTURAL PROGRAMS

Prof. Sobindran working chairman SJFF chaired the open forum in the evening and Sri. M.A Johnson, Program Coordinator SJFF welcomed the gathering. inaugurated the forum and District Collector, Kozhikkode was the guest of honor.

Sri. A.K Saseendran MLASri. KV Mohan Kumar IAS,

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Prof. Sobindran distributed the prizes and certificates for the quiz competition and Sri. Albert Joseph Executive Director FVTRS, Bangalore distributed the prizes and trophies for painting competitions.

Executive Director, Kerala Social Service Forum (KSSF), Kottayam made a presentation. Sri V.K Rajan Nair, State Convenor, Organic Farmer's Association of India released a book titled “Chakka recipes” edited by Sri. Babu R Parambath and published by Green Gain. Sri. Jithinam Radhakrishna Warrier committed to documentation and dissemination of Jack fruit related publications for decades was honored by Dr. KV Mohammad Kunhi, Scientist. Malabar Botanical Garden Society. Mr. Warrier has a large collection of articles and news items in news papers and periodicals on jack fruit tree and jackfruit. He has also a sizable collection of coins, stamps and pictures of Mahatma Gandhi. Sri. Valsan Nellicode thanked the gathering. From 7 pm, a was staged by , Kozhicode.

Fr. Romance Antony,

cultural event Niravu, Vengari

12. PROGRAM EXTENSION JACKFRUIT SEEDLINGS PLANTING PROGRAM

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As against the original schedule the program was extended for a day (27 May, 2012) in lieu of the Harthal on 24, May as per the request of the general public and officials. The sales and exhibitions of jack fruit products continued and concluded on the day. The jackfruit seedlings planting program was inaugurated by

District Collector, Kozhicode and Mrs. Rajalakshmi Mohan Kumar. JF seedlings were planted in the school campus by the Principal, Govt. Model HSS, Mananchira, Sri Thayattu Balan and Dr. Neena Thakur. Sri. V. Raghavan Nair Kommery ,who was instrumental in planting thousands of Jackfruit saplings through NGO's, environmental organizations and social organizations was honored by Sri.K.V Mohan Kumar. Sri. Nair who worked as Senior Manager in Kozhicode Urban Co-Operative Bank continues to take up free distribution of Jack Fruit saplings even after retirement.

Sri. KV Mohan Kumar IAS,

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13. THE VALEDICTORY FUNCTION

The valedictory function was held at 5.30 pm and Sri.L.Pankajakshan, General Secretary, JPC

welcomed the gathering. Prof. Sobhindran working chairman SJFF presided over the function.

former Minister of Forest and Wild Life inaugurated the function. “The Malabar

Declaration “ was pronounced by Dr. Devadas, Gandhi Gram Wayanad. UDF

Leader, Corporation of Kozhikkode received “The Malabar Declaration”. The Malabar Declaration

noted the legacy of Jackfruit as part of the daily diet especially of the poor people. It also remainded the

people to restore jackfruit as an integral part of daily diet. The declaration noted that the role of Govt.

especially that of LSGIs is crucial in the promotion of jackfruit. The society need to identify the

medicinal properties of jackfruit and also the avenues for jacktree cultivators. Sri. Benoy Viswam,

Former Minister for Forest and Former Minister and Councilor, Corporation of

Kozhikkode distributed prizes for the biggest Jack fruit, cooking competition and exhibition

participation. Sri. M. Baburaj (Uravu), General Convener SJFF thanked the gathering.

Sri.

Benoy Viswam

Smt.M.T Padma,

Smt.M.T.Padma,

CONCLUSION

Undoubtedly the people of Kozhicode went through a new experience by the Jack Fruit Festival. When JPC formed as a follow up to the National Jack Fruit Festival 2011 discussed the proposal to hold a Jack Fruit Festival 2012, Urvau Wayanad pioneers in the field, voluntarily came forward to host the festival. The social activists and concerned citizens of Kozhicode along with Governmental and Non Governmental Agencies took up the task as their own. Jack Fruit Promotion council JPC cherishes the co-operation and thank all those who were involved in the program.

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