The Odisha government has decided to commercially promote and popularize jackfruit cultivation under jackfruit in convergence with ongoing horticultural schemes and MGNREGA.
“Jackfruit has high nutritional value, and the agro-climatic conditions of Odisha are suitable for its production. The department of horticulture has been directed to popularize the cultivation of jackfruit with necessary supports like quality planting material, post-harvest processing, value addition, and marketing. He added that Jackfruit could be branded and popularized as a super-food among the people, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said here on Sunday.
Odisha was the second-largest producer of jackfruit next to Tripura. Jackfruit trees were found distributed in almost all districts of Odisha. However, around 15 districts contributed a major portion of the jackfruit production in the State.
The Jackfruit trees were mostly confined to forest areas, backyards, wastelands, and road sites with around 3.15 Metric Ton of production per annum. Of the total produce, around 55% were consumed raw as a good vegetable, and around 35% were consumed as ripe fruit mostly in festivities. As per local climatic conditions, around 50 blocks in the State were found more suitable for large-scale jackfruit production on a commercial scale, informed the official.
The horticulture department has been directed to identify the potential areas where jackfruit could be cultivated in large patches. The department is also asked to explore all possibilities for promoting it in the areas where people had traditional skills for jackfruit cultivation, Mahapatra said.
The government will lay emphasis on creating extensive awareness regarding the nutritional composition of jackfruit along the lines of millet mission activities so that its commercial production would be taken up by the farmers, he concluded.