JALUKBARI, July 31 - A two-day interactive workshop on �Jackfruit for Sustainable Livelihood and Enterprise� was organised on July 29 and 30 in the IIE campus here by the Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship (MIE), Govt of Meghalaya, Shillong, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Govt of India, Guwahati.
The primary objective of the workshop was to make the prospective farmers and entrepreneurs aware of entrepreneurial opportunities offered by jackfruit, which is abundant in the north-eastern region.
The workshop included lectures and presentations by experts from the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, and demonstration by leading entrepreneurs from Kerala and Bangalore, who showcased the various value-added products that can be prepared from jackfruit.
The workshop gave a platform to entrepreneurs to take up new ventures while contributing to food security and greening of the ecology. Jackfruit is the fourth largest produced fruit in India. Green jackfruit has anti-diabetic properties. Green jackfruit can be converted into chips, pickles etc. Ripe jackfruit can be converted into jam, jelly, squash, pulp, crush, puree etc. Nuts can be made into flour, chips, roasted and salted products, etc.
The opening session was attended Manoj K Das, Director, IIE; Smt MB Roy, Director, Commerce & Industry, Govt of Meghalaya; BK Sohliya, Officer on Special Duty, Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship (MIE); Dr Shyamalamma S, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore and Smt Laila Mannil, Vandanam, Kerala.
Dr BDR Tiwari, Secretary (Planning) and Executive Director, MBDA/MIE was the chief guest in the inaugural function. There were more than eighty participants from different states. The technical sessions were conducted by representatives from the University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore.
