LuLu to distribute jackfruit, chillies from Assam in Gulf nations

Dhubri, Assam: A consignment of jackfruit will reach Dubai ahead of Vishu to cater to the Malayali diaspora.

Besides, jackfruit – officially Kerala's State fruit – the consignment will also contain green chillies. The shipment, however, is not from Kerala, but Assam.

Dubri deputy commissioner Anbamuthan M P flagged off the vehicle ferrying the consignment at Bilasipara town. The shipment reached Mumbai from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Borjhar on Saturday, from where it would be flown into the Middle-East.

The LuLu Group International will distribute the consignment, comprising 1,500 kilograms of jackfruit and 500 kilograms of green chillies, through its more than 200 super and hypermarkets in the Gulf countries. Jackfruit is in high demand as Vishu nears.

Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in Assam coordinated the shipment. "Today is a red-letter day for the agriculture sector, Dubri and the State," Anbamuthan said after flagging off the consignment. "The district administration and farmers succeeded in exporting jackfruit and chillies to Dubai."

Assam got the opportunity to export the produces through an APEDA expo held in Guwahati. Members of the Farmer Producer Organisation held talks with the LuLu representative and finalized the deal.

The produces were farmed by the Green Chilli Producer Organisation Limited, which has 500 farmers as its members in Bilasipara and Nayeralga development block areas. LuLu International general manager Ravikumar said the group would continue procuring the produces from Dhubri if there was a demand in the Gulf sector.

Assam is among the top jackfruit-producing States in the country. Odisha, which leads the list, produced 312.18 tonnes of jackfruits, according to 2021 statistics.

Kerala came second, producing 263 tonnes, accounting for 14.01 per cent of jackfruit production in the country. The State is also in the forefront of exporting jackfruit and allied value-added products, whereas Assam is in the third position, producing 212.16 tonnes of the tropical fruit, comprising 11.41 per cent of the production.

West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Tripura are also among the top jackfruit-producing States.