Govt must declare jackfruit as state fruit, says Krishnamurthy Biligere

RENOWNED writer and jackfruit farmer Krishnamurthy Biligere appealed to the state government to declare jackfruit as the state fruit and plant the native (nati) jackfruit saplings on either side of the roads and highways.

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Inaugurating the two-day Halasu Mela or Jackfruit Festival organised by Sahaja Samrudha and Rotary Club Mysore West at Nanjaraja Bahadur Chhatra on Saturday, Biligere said there is a need to save the native species of jackfruit. "We call coconut as kalpavruksha. But in Tumakuru, Tiptur, Bengaluru, Arasikere and neighbouring open dryland regions, it's jackfruit which is kalpavruksha. The jackfruit trees grow naturally in these regions. While coconut has just around 200 years of history in these regions, the jackfruit has more than 3,000 years history. It is rightly stated that jackfruit is the jack of all fruits. Jackfruit is the only fruit in the region which is free from pesticides. The US, which is moving towards organic food, is growing red rice and jackfruit on a large scale. So jackfruit is not just a state fruit, but an international fruit which is equal to Amrutha,"