The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family. Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Sri Lanka and the rainforests of Malaysia.
Jackfruit is also a popular fruit among the people of Bangladesh. The ripened juicy pulp like item inside the jackfruit is not only useful as a tasty, sweet edible consumable food but its leaves are also nourishing food for goats, lambs and the cattle heads, its wood is hard and everlasting and used for making furniture, the raw fruit inside is also eaten by cooking curry and even seed is an excellent food and the outer shells of the fruit is favourite cattle feed. No parts of either jack fruit or its tree is left unused.
Ajmat Ali (45) son of late Khoda Bauz of Kumargara village of Chatmohar earns his living by selling Jackfruit leaves for the last couple of years. He is seen to sell Jackfruit leaves in various places of Chatmohar municipal areas.
Ajmat Ali informed me that when he used to work as a farm hand, he did not manage work every day. As a result, he spent his days with misery with his wife, two sons and grandsons. He added, the daily cost for food and daily necessities is not below Tk 450 to 500.
As a result, he found it extremely difficult to manage the family even after with the meagre income of his son. As a result, he started to sell jackfruit leaves by visiting Chatmohar towns and now he never remains unemployed.
He further said, after taking his breakfast he starts visiting villages to purchase jackfruit leaves from trees. He then made bundles of the leaves and started for the town in a van. In the town and surrounding villages he sells each leaf bundle for Tk 20. After selling the bundles of leaves, he earns a profit of Tk 400 or more daily. With the profit money he could manage his family well.
