Seed Marketing News

New processing facility for marketing of Jackfruit

The Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Limited's jackfruit processing factory at Mala in Thrissur.It is expected to give a boost to the agriculture department's campaign for production, value addition and marketing of the local fruit.

Agriculture minister V S Sunilkumar said, "The state has been witnessing a total annual production of around 30 crore jackfruits. It will be a major achievement if we procure and process at least 20% of the jackfruits produced in the state."

The plan was to spend Rs 15 crore this year for the promotion of jackfruit products by giving subsidies to small-scale entrepreneurs and various voluntary organisations.

The department has been also planning to entrust the Vegetables and Fruits Promotion Council Keralam with the procurement of jackfruits and market the products through its existing sale networks, the minister said.

The proposed agro-park for jackfruit and honey in Thrissur, once operational, will give further boost to the value addition campaign, he added. The minister also said the department would take extreme care to maintain jackfruit cultivation free of pesticides and chemical fertilisers.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/