Jackfruit declared as Kerala's official fruit, state to promote it as a brand

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The Kerala Government on Wednesday declared Jackfruit as its official fruit. The official announcement was made by Agriculture minister, V S Sunil Kumar, in the state assembly.

The aim is to promote the 'Kerala Jackfruit' as a brand in markets across the country and abroad, showcasing its organic and nutritious qualities, he said. This would also help in giving in the fruit's production and sale, besides increasing its value-added products. Every year around 32 crore jackfruit is produced in the state, of which 30 per cent gets wasted. A total revenue of Rs 15,000 crore is expected through sale of jackfruit and its allied products through branding of the fruit, he said.

The 'Kerala jackfruit' is more organic and tasty as it is produced in a very natural way without using any chemical
fertilisers or pesticides, the minister said. There are also plans to distribute maximum jackfruit saplings among the public to grow it in their backyards as part of plans to expand the cultivation, he said. The agricultural office in Ambalavayil in Wayanad will be used as a research station for jackfruit.

The Kerala Tourism also announced the development on their Twitter page. The tweet said, "As of today, Jackfruit, the largest tree-borne fruit would be the official fruit of Kerala. This juicy fruit has a host of nutritional traits and is rich in vitamin, minerals, phytonutrients, carbohydrate, electrolytes, fiber, and protein."

Elephant is the state animal of Kerala, while 'great hornbill' the bird and 'kanikkonna' the official flower. The state had recently declared pearl spot, popularly known as 'karimeen', as its official fish.

Here's how Twitter reacted...

With agency inputs

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