Introduction
One of the most important fruit crop of the low land tropics of eastern and southern parts of India
which grows well without much care is Jackfruit. It is known by many names such as Panasam (Sanskrit); Kathal (Hindi, Bengali); Theibong (Manipuri); Panas(Oriya); Pala pazham (Tamil); Panasa (Telegu); Phanas(Marathi); Halasu (Kannada)etc. It plays a significant role in Indian agriculture and culture. It was cultivated in India 3,000-6,000 years ago.The jackfruit is believed to have originated in the rainforests of Western Ghats and is cultivated throughout the low lands in South and Southeast Asia.
It is the largest edible fruit with a weight ranging from 20-40kg. This fruit crop has very high potential, but it is yet to receive due attention at national and international levels. It is not generally cultivated in regular plantations and is mainly grown in homestead for domestic uses and also as a shade tree in coffee or cardamom plantations. It has capacity to fulfil many aspirations of human needs such providing food, timber, fuel, fodder, and medicinal and industrial products. The primary economic product of jack is the fruit. Jack is commonly grown in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Brazil, Jamaica, Myanmar, Singapore. Jack has spread to other parts of Southeast Asia. It is grown throughout Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It’s also a popular fruit in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and several other parts of the world including Africa. In India, itis grown in Assam, W.B, Tripura, Bihar, UP, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala.
Important Uses
The tree has several uses. The immature tender fruits and the seeds of ripe fruits are used for culinary
purposes. Ripe fruits are used for table purpose, nectars, dehydrated leathers, jelly and chips etc. Pickles are made from immature tender fruits. The skin of the ripened fruits and other wastes of the fruitsand leaves are the excellent source for cattle feeds. The flour of the seeds is mixed in variety of poultry feeds. The tree produces valuable timber that is used for making furniture, musical instruments, toys, carvings and crates. The unripe fruit (green), is remarkably similar in texture to chicken, making jackfruit an excellent vegetarian substitute for meat. Jackfruit seeds (nuts) can be roasted like chestnuts, or boiled. The fruit pulp is sweet and tasty and used as dessert or preserved in syrup. The fruits and seeds are also processed in a variety of ways for food and other products. Jackfruit value added products include chips, papads, pickles, ice-cream, jelly, sweets, beverages
like squash, nectar, wine and preserved flakes, etc. Additionally, jackfruit leaves, bark, inflorescence,
seeds and latex are used in traditional medicines. It is a nutritious fruit rich in carbohydrates, proteins,
potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamin A, B, and C. Due to high levels of carbohydrates; jackfruit supplements other staple foods in times of scarcity in some regions. The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy and fibrous, and is a source of dietary fibre. Research findings have indicated that the fruit has cancer-fighting properties. It is also known to help cure ulcers and indigestion. In spite of such a vast potential and usefulness, jackfruit remains an underutilized fruit species and deserves to be given
the needed thrust for research and development. The USDA nutrition chart of jack indicates its importance from nutrition point of view.
Varietal Wealth
The cultivated types are broadly classified into two groups such as (i) fruits with firm flesh and crispy in nature (ii) fruits with soft flesh and very juicy. Some types with local names like ‗Gulabi‘(rose scented), Champa, Hazari, Rudrakshi (small roundish fruits) are also available. A genotype (No.7) was selected from Uttar Pradesh, with moderate yields. A variety GKVK-1 and Swarna with superior quality fruits were released from Karnataka and Gumless jack, Muttan Varica from Kerala also found to perform better. Singapore or Ceylon Jack is remarkable for its early bearing in 21 /2 to 3 years and has medium in size (7-10 kgs) fruit. The flesh is sweet and crispy and the carpels are compacts, yellow and firm with strong aroma, the fruit contain about 80 seeds.
Strategies for promoting jack as a future fruit crop
In recent decades, a number of scientific and economic interests have emerged to promote and commercialize jackfruit products. The primary reason for this is the crop is already well-suited to the household and farming systems of small farmers vulnerable to food shortages and nutritional deficiencies. Diversification within these systems, through enhanced use of jackfruit could lead to increased production of new products which can be sold to raise income as well as to satisfy the subsistence needs. To address these issues, suitable approaches need to be adopted by policy makers, researchers, extension workers, food processors and traders to improve the crop.The research has to focus on post-harvest handling processing and product development.The following important points need consideration. (a)Appropriate methods for post-harvest handling, processing and product development for local and regional markets should be developed. (b)At the local level, technology needs to be transferred to promote products, packaging techniques and better long distance transportation. (c) Current information on the possible efficacy of some of the remedies might be based upon some limited phytochemical screening and very limited amount of clinical testing greater efforts need to be made in this direction to explore and utilize in a therapeutic manner. (d)For jackfruit seed powder, pasting behaviour of jackfruit seed flour at different level of incorporation and utilization in non-bakery industry need to be investigated. (e)Outreach activities need to be strengthened for popularizing the utilization of jackfruit seed flour at household level. (f)A cumbersome process is involved in cutting and scooping out the bulbs/flakes and making it ready besides big size fruit which small family finds difficult to consume in a day. Hence, there is a need to develop efficient mechanical methods for cutting and scooping out the bulbs/flakes.
Apart from all above there is a great need to establish appropriate market linkages so that the jackfruit farmers can channelize the sale of their produce in an efficient and cost-effective manne
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