Kerala wastes jackfruits worth 2000 crore annually despite its multiple uses

KOCHI: Despite being usable from its outer skin to the core, Kerala wastes jackfruit worth Rs 2,000 crore every year. Meanwhile, neighboring Tamil Nadu is capitalizing on the fruit’s potential, earning crores through the export of jackfruit-based products, including to Kerala itself.

With the jackfruit season underway in Kerala, demand remains confined primarily to the Varikka variety. Other varieties are left to ripen, fall, and rot beneath the trees. Though jackfruit can be processed into chips and other high-value products, the labor-intensive task of cleaning raw jackfruit discourages widespread use. Even local chip production units are facing a shortage of workers to process the fruit, forcing them to import ready-made chips from Tamil Nadu for repackaging and sale.

Once a staple in Kerala’s rural kitchens—featured in dishes like aviyal, puzhukku, and varattiyathu, or consumed fresh—jackfruit has seen a decline in popularity among the younger generation.

Beyond its culinary uses, jackfruit boasts medicinal benefits. Consuming raw jackfruit is known to enhance insulin production in diabetics and aid digestion. A drink prepared by boiling dried jackfruit thorns is also considered an effective remedy for thirst.

In Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, especially in Panruti village located between Cuddalore and Neyveli, jackfruit farming has been industrialized over 2,000 acres, with sufficient irrigation and fertilization. During peak season, the region exports an average of 56 truckloads of jackfruit daily. Numerous such plantations thrive across the state.

Notably, Tamil Nadu traders purchase around 50,000 tons of jackfruit from Kerala annually—while an even larger quantity continues to be wasted in Kerala due to lack of organized processing.

“The waste of jackfruit—an abundant gift from the Western Ghats that could feed the hungry—is a result of sheer ignorance,” said Pramod Madhavan, Assistant Director of the Agriculture Department.

Jackfruit highlights
Can be eaten at any stage – tender, raw, or ripe

Jackfruit rind and peels make excellent cattle feed

Jackfruit resin: used to seal holes in traditional cooking pots

Jackfruit seeds: nutritious snack or curry ingredient

Tender jackfruit (koonj): cooked with spices, tastes like meat

Leaves: eco-friendly and health-giving alternative to disposable spoons