KOCHI: A complete natural drink extracted from banana, Kozhikoden halwa made of jackfruit, local rice varieties, squash made of raw mango, dried up tapioca flakes, natural colours and preservatives extracted from leaves and flowers, dried pineapple fruit are some of the attractions at the Kerala Agro Food Pro 2017 being held at Kochi Bolgatty Palace.
The three day exhibition organised under the aegis of department of Industries and Commerce opens the window to a large number of organic value-added food products made largely from banana, jackfruit, papaya, mango, coconut, cashew, pineapple, tapioca and spices.
Numerous value-added products made from jackfruit is the major attraction of the exhibition. The tasty Kozhikoden jackfruit halwa, largely an export item costs Rs 150 for hundred grams. Kozhikodens, a company which also markets jackfruit chips, claims that the jackfruit chips are baked using vacuum frying technology. “By using this technology, we use far less oil compared to normal frying,” says, Jaffer of Kozhikodens.
Other products made of jackfruit on display include- dried jackfruit, jackfruit pickle, jack chutney, jack puttu podi, jafee powder - a product rich in anti-oxidants and phytonutrient properties, a known cancer healer.
Lava, a complete natural drink made of banana, is touted as a first of its kind product in the world. It is marketed by Thrissur-based Nectaries foods India. “It is a natural and healthy drink high in fibre, minerals and micro nutrinets,” says one of the proprietors of the company. Kalamassery-based Prasan Solutions has come up with product specific preservatives and natural colours. Their products include- preservatives for palm oil, sunflower oil, poultry, cakes, chapati, bread and natural colours such as robust red paprika, robust yellow parika, oleoresins and essential oils.
St Thomas Rice Mill, Kottayam has put several rice varieties on display. This include- organic rice, navara rice, basmati rice, barn rice etc. “People from all the 14 districts are displaying their agro food products in the exhibition. The main aim of the exhibition is to create a rapport between the product manufacturers and domestic whole-buyers along with familiarising the products to the general public. This will help in the promotion of these value-added products in a big way,” said, K N Krishnakumar, general manager, District Industries Centre, Ernakulam.