Jackfruit mela draws many to Adyanadka

Besides a variety of jackfruits, event witnessed 40 jackfruit dishes

The visitors at jackfruit mela could savour mouth-watering dishes made of jackfruit, at Janatha High School premises in Adyanadka on Sunday.

The event was organised by Varanashi Jackfruit Growers Association along with the horticulture department, Dakshina Kannada, Varanashi Research Foundation and Halasusnehi Koota.

Stalls selling mouth watering dishes were cynosure of all eyes. As a part of the programme, MLA T Shakunthala Shetty released ‘Halasina Savi’ on jackfruit recipes written by Savitha Bhat Adwai.

The book has recipes on over 300 dishes to be prepared from jackfruit.

‘Olabailu,’ ‘rudraksha’ and ‘Ubaru’ varieties of jackfruits at Halasu Sneha Koota stall was another added attraction at the mela. Olabailu vareieties provides yield from June to September. Another speciality of this variety is that the sweetness of the fruit increases with the passing day.

Visitors were thronging at a stall where ice cream made of  jackfruit was sold.

Jackfruit juice, eatables made of tender jackfruit by a home industry from Koppa, dried jackfruit bulbs by Rekha Heggade Sirsi were other attractions at the mela.

Farmers who visited the mela were given information on varieties of jackfruit plants. Saplings of ‘Raja,’ ‘Gena’ of Patikallu, ‘Rajalakshmi’ of Marakkini, ‘Bakke’ from Puttur, ‘Nandana,’ gumless, ‘Sarvada’ were sold.

Halasu Snehikoota had organised competitions on preparing dishes from jackfruit. About 16 participants had taken part in the contest and came out with 40 dishes.

Puttur Vivekananda College students had set up a stall on ‘Krishi arogya kendra’ and provided information on mushroom cultivation, apiculture, rearing of rooster, grafting and so on.