Campaign to cash in on jackfruit

Mangalore, June 17: To augment the production of jackfruit in India, the Global Village Fruits Inc. on Saturday launched a campaign.

Global Village Fruits Inc. is a for-profit social enterprise started by pre-med anthropology concentrator and Harvard public service traveller Annemarie Ryu which has plans to export 25 tonne of dried jackfruit from India to the US.

"Many people in India do not know the various uses of the fruit. During my visit a year ago, I came to know that about 28 tonne of jackfruit is wasted in India as people do not make optimal use of it and the fruit does not have a profitable market too. When I realized its market potential, I thought of marketing it in the US," Annemarie said. There was overwhelming response when she supplied the fruit to 30 super markets in the US last year.

"I came back to India to start a campaign to promote jackfruit cultivation to meet the need for 25 tonne of jackfruit in the US in the next one year," Annemarie said.

There is huge demand for dehydrated fruit which is easy to export and has a shelf life too. "At present, we are exporting three varieties of the fruit. There are plans to introduce seed flour, jackfruit burger, cookies, juice, jam and other varieties of value added products from jackfruit to the US market," she added.

Annemarie's love for the yummy fruit does not end here.

She is also working on a book that will track the history of jackfruit, its nutritional benefits and uses across the world.