Alappuzha woman scripts rags to riches story with jackfruit-based products

Jyothi Lighitharaj, once bankrupt, now earns Rs. 2 lakh/mo. from her jackfruit-based products enterprise. She uses all parts of the fruit to make 60 value-added products, providing employment to 15 people. She procures 10 tonnes of jackfruit from Kerala & markets them through fairs & shops.

Twelve years ago, Jyothi Lighitharaj and her family had to weather a period of financial hardship after her husband’s decade-long hammock export business suddenly collapsed owing to shrinking orders. Around the same time, she chanced upon an article about a training programme on making value-added products from jackfruit at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kayamkulam. Attending the week-long training, Jyothi found a lifeline in jackfruit and thus began her entrepreneurial journey.

Ms. Jyothi who reeled under bankruptcy over a decade ago is now earning around ₹2 lakh per month, thanks to her thriving enterprise specialising in jackfruit-based products. The woman who bagged an award from the State Agriculture department for her entrepreneurial skills earlier this year uses almost all parts of jackfruit, the official fruit of Kerala, to make 60 value-added products, all comestibles such as halwa, pickles, dry chutney, health drink, cookies to name a few.

While the products are processed and manufactured in two units at Kalapura and Kayamkulam in Alappuzha, she markets them through various fairs in and outside Kerala. Besides, she runs three ‘Jack World’ shops at Pandalam in Pathanamthitta, Ambalappuzha in Alappuzha and Nayathode in Kochi and has several long-term loyal customers

“We had lost it all and it is the jackfruit that helped us to recover from financial disaster. After the initial training at KVK, Kayamkulam, I started trying a couple of food items like chakka (jackfruit) halwa and chakka varatti. Later, I attended an advanced training programme at KVK, Pathanamthitta that equipped me to experiment and come up with several value-added products from the fruit bulbs, seeds, rags, and so on,” says Ms. Jyothi, 49, from Kalapura in Alappuzha. She even uses the rind as an ingredient in ‘dahashamani’ (herbal drinking mix).

The agripreneur provides direct employment to 15 people and procures over 10 tonnes of jackfruit from different parts of the State every year. “Earlier we used to procure the fruit from Kodagu also. With the arrival of the Vietnam Early variety, we are getting the fruit from Kerala around the year. Jackfruit, which has several nutritional and health benefits, has massive potential and possibilities. We used to procure the fruit by paying ₹4 per kg. The post-pandemic price has increased to ₹20 per kg as there is a jump in consumption of jackfruit-based products,” she says.

Ms. Jyothi is supported by her husband V.P. Lighitharaj.