Suphala FPC mentored by Atal Incubation Centre at Nitte varsity launches value-added products of jackfruit

Hundreds and thousands of tonnes of jackfruit, being wasted in coastal and malnad belts of Karnataka, has been put to good use with a farmers’ producer company (FPC) manufacturing value-added products at Nitte Jackfruit Processing Unit, near Karkala in Udupi district.

Hundreds and thousands of tonnes of jackfruit, being wasted in coastal and malnad belts of Karnataka, has been put to good use with a farmers’ producer company (FPC) manufacturing value-added products at Nitte Jackfruit Processing Unit, near Karkala in Udupi district.

The Suphala Farmers’ Producer Company Ltd., mentored by Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at Nitte Deemed to be University, has begun manufacturing and marketing vacuum cooked chips, seed powder, halwa, pulp and pappad made from jackfruit since the last two months.

As a step forward, A.P. Achar, Chief Executive Officer, AIC, Nitte Deemed to be University, told The Hindu, that it is planning to manufacture plates and cups using the outer skin of jackfruit by purchasing technology from the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Thanjavur.

Vinayak S. Pujar, food technologist and general manager of FPC, said the unit has also made manchurian balls and pizza topping using tender jackfruit on a pilot basis. “These two products are not yet ready for commercial launch,” he said, adding that manchurian balls is a sterile product for direct consumption. “In addition, we have also made tender jackfruit (fiber) powder keeping commercial launch in future,” he said adding that the FPC has plans to launch a compost made from the waste of jackfruit processed at the Nitte unit.

Mr. Achar, also an independent director at the FPC, said the FPC got jackfruit mainly from Hebri, Belve, Siddapura, and Kolluru areas.

“We have plans to introduce Korean model of collecting farm produce from villages in collaboration with the Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Union Ltd. (DKMUL) through its milk societies. Talks are on with the cooperative,” he said.

Mr. Achar said that the Union government through the Department of MSME released ₹5 crore to the FPC in 2021 to establish the processing unit at Nitte. Of the fund, ₹3 crore was for machinery, ₹1 crore for constructing building, and the balance ₹1 crore was released as working capital. The FPC, having 750 members, is now about two years old. ‘The AIC, Nitte, will have to handhold the FPC for five years,” he said.