How Chakkakkoottam, a WhatsApp group-turned-company, is bringing a couple of jackfruit revolution in Kerala

“There may be a lot you are able to do with the jackfruit,” Bushra Faisal says. She is a member of Chalissery Chakkakkoottam, a collective of 15 homemakers who’re into making value-added merchandise from jackfruit.

A resident of Chavakkad in Thrissur district, Bushra travels 18 kilometres to Chalissery in close by Palakkad district each time there’s a coaching session or to promote home made merchandise at ‘Chakka chantha’ (jackfruit market). Sahida Aboobacker, one other member of the collective, factors out that very little bit of a jackfruit could be transformed into a brand new product. “We get pleasure from that course of although it’s cumbersome,” she says.

Chalissery Chakkakkoottam was launched in December final yr and the members are a part of a WhatsApp group of almost 500 members. That is amongst many such collectives within the State making a variety of jackfruit treats, due to Chakkakkoottam, a WhatsApp group of jackfruit lovers, which was shaped in 2019. This group registered as an organization, Chakkakkoottam Worldwide Personal Ltd, in 2021. The corporate, positioned at Pattimattam in Ernakulam district, markets totally different jackfruit-based merchandise by means of supermarkets and e-commerce platforms.

“Whereas there are seven widespread teams, 21 teams perform in 14 districts with among the districts having multiple WhatsApp group. As well as, there are WhatsApp teams in 941 panchayats, 87 municipalities and 6 Firms,” says Anil Jose, founder-coordinator of Chakkakkoottam WhatsApp group and one of many six administrators of the corporate.

He says Chakkakkoottam was born out of the necessity to discover methods to utilize tonnes of jackfruit going to waste yearly. The dialogue began across the time when jackfruit was declared the official fruit of Kerala in 2018. As soon as the group was shaped, phrase acquired round and there was an inflow of followers of jackfruit — from those that like to binge on jackfruit to these promoting saplings and value-added merchandise from the fruit. This included those that beloved consuming jackfruit to those that offered jackfruit saplings and producers of jackfruit-based merchandise.

They had been inspired to kind WhatsApp teams of their respective panchayats and as soon as the variety of members crossed 400, Chakkakkoottam educated members of those teams.

“Kerala is behind Karnataka, Assam and Orissa in jackfruit manufacturing. Even then round 60 crore jackfruits are produced right here yearly, of which lower than 20 crore fruits are used. Over 100 merchandise could be manufactured from the fruit. So the State can get a turnover of ₹1 lakh crore if we’re capable of make value-added merchandise,” says Manu Chandran, managing director of Chakkakkoottam Worldwide.

King of fruits

Jackfruit is now thought-about a superfood since an array of value-added merchandise could be constructed from all components of the fruit — seeds, bulbs, carpels, rags and core.

Chakkakkoottam has a panel of trainers. Krishi Vigyan Kendras additionally imparts coaching. “We chosen 25 panchayats and conductedtraining in 16. Of this 5 panchayats are actively into manufacturing totally different merchandise,” says Anil. The coaching consists of periods on making value-added merchandise, comparable to pickles, snacks, squash and desserts. “We assist them perceive how to decide on jackfruit saplings and train tips on how to take care of the sapling. Upkeep of equipment and tools to pluck the fruits and many others are additionally launched on the coaching periods,” provides Anil.

Apart from Chalissery, Nagalassery panchayat additionally in Palakkad has additionally launched a variety of merchandise. A gaggle at Kodenchery in Kozhikode district has initiated the method to get registered as an organization, Kodenchery Jackfruit and Fruit Merchandise Pvt Ltd. “Fifteen of us are behind this enterprise,” says Tomy Cherian who has been spearheading the actions of the collective together with CJ Andrews. “Jackfruit grows aplenty in our panchayat. If there are 10 timber in a plot, you find yourself getting 1,000 fruits no less than, most of which rot. Manufacture of jackfruit chips has been a cottage trade for a while. That’s all now we have been doing. Over the previous couple of years now we have come to grasp the price of jackfruit by means of numerous entrepreneurs and their enterprise ventures. That’s once we determined to get into this.”

All about jackfruit

The administrators of Chakkakkoottam Worldwide are Ashok R, Manu Chandran, Anil Jose, Vipin Kumar, Sabu Aravind, and Ciby Mon. At present, it sells 16 jackfruit merchandise that may be stored at room temperature along with 25 frozen merchandise. An revolutionary product is prompt palada payasam combine, launched throughout Onam 2022. The product vary has chips, jackfruit flour and powder, ready-to-cook chilli tender jackfruit, squash, jam, tender jack burger patties, protect, jackfruit seed powder, halwa, sweet, avalose podi, and many others.

“Frozen merchandise comparable to bulbs and slices of uncooked jackfruit, jackfruit seed cuts and tender jackfruit cuts are exported to the US. Frozen ripe jackfruit bulbs have markets in UK and Australia. Apart from the 4,000 sq ft plant at Pattimattam, a brand new manufacturing unit will come up at KINFRA Industrial Park, Nellad, in Kochi,” says Manu.

The corporate is planning a Jackfruit Expertise Centre at Kakkanad in Kochi. This centre could have a store for Chakkakkoottam members to market their merchandise and a restaurant serving jackfruit-based dishes and ethnic meals of Kerala. Guests can study types of jackfruit and attend coaching periods.

Panangad, Chathamangalam and Kunnamangalam are different panchayats in Kozhikode the place Chakkakkoottam educated residents. They’ve carried out periods in choose panchayats in Kannur and Malappuram as effectively.

“Pickle constructed from idichakka (tender jackfruit) is the particular on our product vary. We’ve stocked dried idichikka for future use. Merchandise constructed from jackfruit seeds will probably be added to the product vary,” says Thulasi Muhammad Basheer, coordinator of Alakode Chakkakkoottam, a 10-member collective from Kannur.

Sujatha Ok, secretary of Chalissery Chakkakkoottam mentions that they’ve already made 60 merchandise from the fruit. “We be sure that the fruit doesn’t go waste. The members are incomes an revenue as effectively,” she says.

In the meantime, Chakkakkoottam is planning to carry jackfruit festivals each month. “We’re taking a look at conducting Chakka Mahotsavam no less than 200 days in a yr. Our purpose is to encourage extra folks to return into this trade. Actually, we’re already seeing the change since there was a rise within the variety of jackfruit farmers,” says Manu.