Jackfruit as a wonder crop is all set to light up the lives of hundreds of tribal women in Koraput district. For the fruit has become a major source of income for many tribal women in the district. The women are now engaged in making packaged chips from jackfruit which is grown in abundance in Boipariguda, Lamtaput, Nandapur, Dasmantpur, Narayanpatana, Semiliguda and Pottangi blocks. The jackfruits, grown in abundance in the region, now find an attractive market in Delhi. The women are packing chips sold in the National Capital. They earn Rs 150 per kg of jackfruit chips that are supplied to Delhi through the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS). Sources said that with the demand for the fruit going down due to absence of markets during the lockdown restrictions, the farmers had stopped collecting their produce from trees. During jackfruit season this year, the ORMAS and the Koraput District Rural Development Agency coordinated with the Forest Department to collect the fruits and preserve them.
Koraput district produces large quantities of jackfruits every year but due to lack of market linkage, it is sold at meagre Rs 5 to Rs 10 per piece in local markets against the potential to fetch Rs 300 per piece outside. While only 10 per cent jackfruits is consumed locally, the bulk is exported to neighbouring Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra markets by middlemen and traders. Damyanti Majhi, a member of a producer group, said, “Earlier we had to depend on local market and also we had to travel miles to sell jackfruits.
Even many a time, we threw the fruits when they could not be consumed or sold. But after the Koraput ORMAS trained us we are now happy to produce jackfruit chips and our village members are doing a good earning.” ORMAS, Koraput Deputy CEO Roshan Karthik said the jackfruit chips prepared by the tribal women have received great response in New Delhi markets. Roshan also said jackfruits earlier used as a recipe or thrown as wastage would now be used to make jackfruit flour which is very helpful for diabetic patients and would work as immunity booster for many.
“We are not only helping women to prepare chips from jackfruit but also organising exhibitions to help them sell the products. As there is a break in exhibitions we are going online and using social media platform to promote sale. We are also aiming to export the product outside the country by adhering to international food quality standards,” he added.