Exploring Market Potential and Developing Linkages – A Case of Underutilized Fruit Products in India

Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, India, under the aegis of International Centre for Underutilized Crops (ICUC), trained the officials of Bharathiya Agro-Industries Foundation (BAIF), a nongovernmental organization (NGO), on small scale processing and marketing of underutilized fruits in August 2004. As a result, small scale processing units were established at the community village level in the state of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat in India for processing of underutilized fruits like aonla, tamarind and jackfruit into different products. Later, a survey was undertaken to ascertain the processing and market potential of underutilized fruit products. The market survey in the Hassan district of Karanataka has indicated the presence of underutilized fruit products like citron pickles, tamarind paste and jackfruit chips, which are sold by the retailers in small quantities. The market survey of underutilized fruit products in Pune (Maharashtra) has indicated the trading of underutilized fruit products like aonla pickle, aonla squash, aonla supari and tamarind products like concentrate, pani puri masala in the market, though in small quantities. The market survey in the Dharmapur and Valsad markets, Gujarat has indicated the presence of underutilized fruit products like pachan aonla (digestive aonla), ber powder, salted ber and tamarind under different brand names like Oswal, Khelkar, Frootlet, etc. The share of the underutilized fruit products is small but these products have made their presence felt in the market. By and large, consumers have accepted the quality and price of the products of the small scale community processing unit. However, label needs improvement and is to be made more attractive. Thus, market research has helped in identifying the potential markets for the underutilized fruit products of the community level processing units. The institutional arrangements in the form of IIHR-BAIF have benefited the community at large and the women SHGs in particular.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Selection of elite seedling clones of mango (Mangifera indica L.) exposed by phylogenetic relationship and morpho-taxonomic traits

Almost all the current commercial mango cultivars in India are the result of selection from the natural seedling population and majority of them have been selected by the farmers.The conventional breeding system with traditional knowledge is evolving more and more towards preservation of genetic diversity. In Pusa site of the UNEP/GEF sponsored project in the Bihar state of India, many mango seedlings are found growing in the orchards as well as in the backyards. Mango being a highly cross-pollinated fruit crop exhibits a lot of variability in morpho-physico-chemical traits of fruits in these seedling plants. For selection of the elite seedling genotypes, farmers play an important role and with the help of the breeder they can pave the way for maintaining the local germplasm. Hence, in order to study the genetic variability among mango seedlings and to select elite mango genotypes and to conserve them, a survey was conducted in the four project communities and the surrounding villages. A total of 74 seedling types of mango were characterized using morpho-taxonomic parameters. Physico-chemical characterization of fruit samples revealed the existence of a great variability in the seedling mango plants, which not only contributes to biological diversity, but can also be used for crop improvement or for varietal selection. Based on this physico-chemical characterization, principal component and cluster analysis and grouping of seedling clones on the basis of possession of desirable characters by them, six seedling clones, having the majority of desirable fruit characteristics were selected. These selected clones will definitely broaden the genetic base of mango in the Pusa site as well offer the scope for choice of selection of varieties by the farmers and ultimately the conservation of the valuable germplasm

Exploring Market Potential and Developing Linkages – A Case of Underutilized Fruit Products in India

Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, India, under the aegis of International Centre for Underutilized Crops (ICUC), trained the officials of Bharathiya Agro-Industries Foundation (BAIF), a nongovernmental organization (NGO), on small scale processing and marketing of underutilized fruits in August 2004. As a result, small scale processing units were established at the community village level in the state of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat in India for processing of underutilized fruits like aonla, tamarind and jackfruit into different products. Later, a survey was undertaken to ascertain the processing and market potential of underutilized fruit products. The market survey in the Hassan district of Karanataka has indicated the presence of underutilized fruit products like citron pickles, tamarind paste and jackfruit chips, which are sold by the retailers in small quantities. The market survey of underutilized fruit products in Pune (Maharashtra) has indicated the trading of underutilized fruit products like aonla pickle, aonla squash, aonla supari and tamarind products like concentrate, pani puri masala in the market, though in small quantities. The market survey in the Dharmapur and Valsad markets, Gujarat has indicated the presence of underutilized fruit products like pachan aonla (digestive aonla), ber powder, salted ber and tamarind under different brand names like Oswal, Khelkar, Frootlet, etc. The share of the underutilized fruit products is small but these products have made their presence felt in the market. By and large, consumers have accepted the quality and price of the products of the small scale community processing unit. However, label needs improvement and is to be made more attractive. Thus, market research has helped in identifying the potential markets for the underutilized fruit products of the community level processing units. The institutional arrangements in the form of IIHR-BAIF have benefited the community at large and the women SHGs in particular

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Birthplace of Dashehari mango: Introduction brief on Dashehari mango

Dashehari’ is one of the most popular mango varieties of North India. It is widely acclaimed for its exquisite taste and pleasant aroma. It is believed that 80% of all mango varieties in Malihabad (North India) is covered by ‘Dashehari’ and they can be genetically traced back to this very tree. The UNEP/GEF-funded project ‘Conservation and sustainable use of wild and cultivated fruit tree diversity: Prompting Sustainable Livelihoods, Food Security and Ecosystem Services’ aims to empower farming communities and local institutions in Malihabad, Lucknow, North India, for identifying unique varieties from the orchards and scaling up genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge for sharing wider benefits to farmers and consumers

An informal network of grafting experts to help the communities to conserve and utilize wild-aromatic pickle mango (Mangifera indica) diversity in the Central Western Ghats, India

Wild-aromatic Pickle Mango (WPM) is a delicacy and an essential part of traditional culture of forest dwelling communities in the Western Ghats, India. This distinctive type of mango is sour and bitter with very unique and variable aromas. Harvested from the wild for household consumption and for sale in the central Western Ghats, India, it is a commodity of commerce. It is a major source of income for the rural farmers who are still dependent on the collection of WPM from the forest areas. Some individual households have obtained nearly INR45,000 (about US$ 700) by collection and sale of the WPM either collected from the forest or from their farms. For decades, farmers of the central Western Ghats have been experimenting with identifying and grafting WPM from the wild and ultimately verifying their performance on farm. However, several WPM types are still in the wild and their valuable diversity is shrinking because of harvesting. Network of grafting experts is a locally innovated system wherein a group of experts form an association and offer themselves to work in the farmersRSQUO field to graft rare and valuable WPM varieties. Through this network, farmers were able to collectively identify hundreds of varieties of pickle mangoes that exist in the forest. Overtime, this process has evolved from a social activity to an informal network of expert grafters who offer their expertise in grafting and maintaining pickle mangoes. In the process, hundreds of rare varieties have been conserved. It has the potential to enhance human and social capitals by capacity building, mobilizing awareness and contributing to the conservation of the species. We share the results of a unique initiative undertaken in the central Western Ghats to save these rare mango types