Malabar plums, wild jackfruits in high demand but how much will they cost?

The plump and juicy Malabar plums and sweet wild jackfruit are making stunning comebacks to the small carts of the street vendors or the well organized fruits shelf of a swanky super market. There was a time when children found fun in collecting or plucking these extremely delicious fruits as they wandered around, enjoying their summer vacations. However, now, the social media has once again inspired the Malayali nostalgia in which the Malabar plums and wild jack fruits play undeniable roles. These, along with the latest study reports that the locally available fruits possess significant medicinal properties, have amazingly increased the market value of the Malabar plums and the wild jack.

The Malabar plums and the wild jack fruits grow abundantly in our backyards and gone are the days when these fruits fell off and just decayed away or became food to birds. Many tell that these fruits are highly in demand. Fruit vendors pour in from Thirunelveli and Gundur with baskets full of beautifully ripe and plump Malabar plums. The fruit sellers could be seen on the sides of all the main roads selling freshly plucked Malabar plums or wild jackfruit bulbs.

Around 300 - 400kg of these fruits reach Kerala from the neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. 250 gms of Malabar plum cost Rs 100. The Malabar plums are industrially grown in many North Indian states and in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as well. Popularly known as the jambu fruit, the Malabar plum has its origins in the Asian continent.

The demand for the fruit has sky rocketed especially after it has been revealed that it contain incredible medicinal and nutritional qualities. People are apparently ready to pay to taste these delicious and nutritious fruits. The price of the wild jackfruits ranges, depending upon its size and shape. A wild jackfruit which is huge, extremely sweet and has good shape can fetch up to Rs 200 – 250 per kilograms.