When a 2015 study found that half of the country’s jackfruits goes waste, a team of prospective entrepreneurs in Kerala chose to come together. In Kerala, as one-third of the tropical fruit went unused, the government declared jackfruit the state’s official fruit in March 2018.

Against this backdrop was formed a WhatsApp group named Chakkakkoottam. Its members began initiative ways to make better use of the fibre-rich fruit, proven to have medicinal effect on diabetics. In September 2021, they floated company by the same name: Chakkakkoottam International Private Limited.The enterprise, based in an eastern belt of Ernakulam district, manufactures six varieties of jackfruit products: the raw fruit fried, ripe fruit fried, dried jackfruit, powder jam and halwa.

The fried products are air-fried, thus avoiding oil and ensuring better health, informs Ashok Ramanchirangara, Managing Director of Chakkakkoottam at Pattimattom, 25 km northeast of Kochi. “The past five years have been good time for jackfruit, which is available all months of year except November and December,” he says. “Jackfruits in Kerala mature first in Thiruvananthapuram, heralding the season. The last bunches ripen in the hills of Idukki, making the fruit available for sale even up till October.”Jackfruit products are finding increasing market both across the country and abroad, according to Chakkakkoottam.

Yoga mats made of Ayurvedic herbs were a big hit ahead of the International Day of Yoga, which falls on June 21, at Vyapar 2022, owing to its therapeutic effect of reducing skin diseases and rashes. The exhibition stall of handwoven yoga and meditation mats, which are made after dyeing threads in a concoction of seven herbs, drew the attention of the delegates at the three-day B2B event at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium Ground in the city, organized by the Department of Industries and Commerce. The B2B meet is a targeted drive to tap the national market for a wide range of products from Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

At the meet, many buyers from across the country evinced keen interest in creating a tie-up and know more about the endeavour of Ayurvastra Textiles Private Limited, which is based at Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram.

“There has been a demand for bedsheets and other products, but in recent times there are inquiries for Ayurvedic yoga mats from abroad,” said Adarsh M P, General Manager of the firm. “Considering their medicinal benefits, various handloom-made Ayurvedic fabrics, including baby wears, bedsheets, pillow covers and towels are popular in European countries. We are exporting yoga mats and also dress materials dyed in Ayurvedic herbal mixture to countries like Austria, Denmark, US, Holland and Brazil,” he added.

According to him, the fabrics dipped in Ayurvedic herbal concoction are getting numerous enquiries as they can reduce skin diseases and rashes. The company purchases herbs from Kottur in Thiruvananthapuram. Shri Adarsh informed that three types of turmeric are used for creating yellow colour, besides tulsi, gall nut and leaves of mango tree for getting certain other colors for fabrics, including khadi, linen and handlooms.

Infused with therapeutic ingredients from flora, the herbal water infuses the aromatic krishna tulsi (holy basil) and black cumin (karinjeerakam or kala jeera), according to volunteers of the Manjeri-based Aparma Beverages attended the June 16-18 business-to-business meet being organized chiefly by the Kerala Department of Industries and Commerce.

Developed by the 2019-founded firm’s professional R&D team, the IS0-certified product comes out of the factory after nine stages of international-level quality check. The product also undergoes a string of tests on pH level which measures the acidity of water, points out Ahammed Shabeerali, owner and Managing Director of the company. Aparma’s bottles, which are available in sizes of 400, 750 and 1,000 litres, bear flavours of orange, strawberry and blueberry depending on the fruit that goes into the product.

Kochi, June 18: The three-day Vyapar 2022 drew to a close today with the Kerala government’s pioneering event in the MSME sector facilitating trade deals worth Rs 105 crore at 2,417 business-to-business meets.

A total of 330 buyers clinched pacts with 324 sellers from across the country at the successful event organized in the city by Kerala Department of Industries and Commerce.

The June 16-18 conclave in suburban Kaloor will be followed up by an array of virtual meets next week, organisers said after the conclusion of Vyapar 2022 which sought to boost the state’s pandemic-hit MSME units by providing them a platform to showcase their products and technological competence.

The B2B meets held on the first two days of the event generated a potential business of Rs 105,19,42,500, revealed officials with Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-bip), which coordinated Vyapar 2022. Of the 324 sellers, 15 were government agencies.

The event yet again highlighted the eminence and popularity of Kerala’s food items and traditional wellness system, organisers said. The virtual meets slated to be held towards the end of next week will further cement the business deals, they added.

Vyapar 2022, which was inaugurated by Minister for Law, Industries and Coir Shri P. Rajeeve on Thursday, saw the convergence of representatives of all-India trade and commercial organisations, business consortiums, e-commerce executives, exporters, consumers, and buyers from top commercial establishments. The final day saw a steady rise in the crowds at the stalls, as the event was open to the public for nine hours till 8 p.m.

An expo at the event exhibited the MSME products, branded and otherwise. The seven focal sectors were food processing (food and spices); handlooms, textiles and garments (fashion design and furnishing products); rubber; coir products; Ayurveda and herbal (cosmetics and nutraceuticals); electrical and electronics; and traditional sectors that include hand-carved goods, handloom textiles and bamboo-based items.

An interesting feature of the event was the impressive presence of women entrepreneurs who set up 65 out of the 331 exhibition stalls to showcase a range of products and their business acumen to attract the attention of domestic buyers and global e-commerce giants such as Amazon and Flipkart.