THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ‘Chakka Vandi’, the jackfruit vehicle to campaign on the food and medicinal uses of the fruit, will tour the city from Wednesday.
The Chakka Vandi is an initiative of Panasa Farmers Producer Company, a voluntary organisation of jackfruit farmers formed by the Santhigram, Chappath, in association with the Nabard. The vehicle will be flagged off by Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar on May 15 at 10 am. It aims to provide ready-to-eat jackfruit dishes round the year.
A variety of delicacies will be offered, including chakka puzhukku, curry and steam baked items made of jackfruit. Combo dishes of chakkapuzhukku, kanji and fish curry will be available and for vegetarians fish curry would be replaced with chutney.
The delicacies are prepared by Idichakkaplamoodu H M Rafeeq and a group of trained housewives. Rafeeq is an expert in preparing over 200 jackfruit dishes and sadya. His famous chakka soup will also be available
There will also be products manufactured by women entrepreneurs like cake, halva, chips, juices and products made from jackfruit seeds.
On the inaugural day, a variety of jackfruit sapling would be on sale. V S Sivakumar MLA will preside over the function. Mayor V K Prasanth will inaugurate the distribution of jackfruit saplings.
Jackfruit Promotion Council in association with the Nabard, Santhigram, Panasa Farmers Producer Company is organising the event.
Seminar
V S Sunil Kumar will inaugurate a seminar at the Press Club hall on the properties of jackfruit to resist lifestyle diseases. Nabard chief general manager R Sreenivasan will be the chief guest. CISSA general secretary Dr V Suresh Kumar will deliver the introductory address.
Topics to be covered in the seminar include properties of jackfruit to resist diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. Speakers are laparoscopic surgeon Dr S K Ajayakumar, NIMS Medicity naturpopathy head Dr Lalitha Appukuttan and Jackfruit 365 founder James Joseph.