Jackfruit -The Sustainability Hero

Do you love jackfruit? Do you also love clean food with minimal ingredients thats sustainable?

Then you are in the right place. The brand Nargunam was brought into existence with the very same ideology.

Cultural significance of jackfruit

Jackfruit has a cultural significance in the India. In Tamilnadu jackfruit occupies a prime spot being one among the holy trio i.e, "Mukkani- Maa, Pazha, Vazhai" meaning mango, jackfruit and banana. These were the fruits frequently mentioned in the Tamil sangam literatures while describing land and the kingdoms prosperity.

Jackfruit also has an emotional connection. It brings back nostalgic memories for the people who have moved from their native villages to bustling cities and metros.

Why is jackfruit considered sustainable?

1. Low water requirement. In fact the fruits taste sweeter when it is less irrigated. It is drought-resistant. Interestingly the jackfruits we procure for our products are never irrigated by manual means and are solely dependent on rain water. Thereby conserving land and water.

2. Disease resistant. They don't require pesticides and chemical inputs for growth.

3. High yield. A tree on an average produces 50 fruit and a single mature fruit can weigh around 30-45kg. It is enough to feed an entire family for days.

   with the likelihood of decrease in yield of key food crops like rice wheat and maiza due to climate change. Jackfruits climate change resistant characteristics could make it the future of nutri-food.

4. Shade crop. It can be inter grown with other crops such as cashews as in the case of Cuddalore district, to create a regenerative ecosystem.

5. Highly nutritious and versatile. It is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Almost all the parts of the jackfruit can be used for human consumption. The fruit's versatility could be a real boon for world where many people still don't have enough to et- around 124 million people suffered from acute hunger in 2018, according to the Global Hunger Index.

6. Vegan alternate. Tender Jack has similar texture to that of pulled pork and chicken. It could be a great plant based alternate to animal meat. Meat and dairy industry accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emission according to UN's FAO. Plant based food. generally use less energy,land and water and have lower GHG intensities than animal based foods- UN.