Panruti Tree Standing Strong for Two Centuries in Tamil Nadu, Yields More Than 200 Jackfruits a Year

In Tamil literature, the three fruits, Mango, Jackfruit, and Banana are called ‘Mukkani’ (Tri-Fruits). ‘Mukkani’ has much deep cultural significance related to Tamil culture. Mukkani payasam is a seasonal dessert prepared with three summer fruits- Mango, Jackfruit, and Banana. This payasam in particular has a ‘no cook’ version and that’s the added specialty.

‘Pala’ (Jackfruit) is one of the traditional fruit of the state. Panruti in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu is said to be the hub of Jackfruits as it holds a unique taste. Although jackfruits are grown all over Tamil Nadu, there is a separate place in the market for jackfruits in Panruti. The reason for that is its amazing taste, while the soil fertility and climatic conditions of the Panruti region make the jackfruit rich and tasty. One can even ‘taste’ the rich aroma of the jackfruits while passing through a jackfruit shop. It is because of the abundance of flavor that the jackfruit stands together in the ‘Mukkani’.

Moreover, laterite soil-rich Panruti, Panikkankuppam, Satthipattu, Maligampattai, Keezhakuppam, Nadukkuppam, Pillaiyarkuppam, Keezhmampattu, Melmampattu, Kadampuliyur, Marungur, Kattukkudalur, Siruthondamadevi, Thazhampattu, Kaalikkuppam, Naduveerapattu, Arasadikkuppam and the surrounded regions where Jackfruits are cultivated on more than 800 hectares of land. The fruiting season falls during February, March, April, May, and June every year. Currently, the sale of jackfruit in Panruti is in full swing and the farmers also say that the jackfruit trees are overripe despite last year’s insufficient rainfall.

Generally, jackfruit has been sold for between Rs 100 and Rs 500. The fruits harvested here are exported to cities like Chennai, Salem, Madurai, Bangalore and even abroad. No matter how many jackfruit trees are there in Panruti, something special can be found in one particular tree always, isn’t it? Yes, the Panruti area is also unique for the ‘Aayiram Kaaichi’ Jackfruit tree.

A 200-year-old jackfruit tree found in the Panruti region yields hundreds of jackfruits in a year. Cuddalore is one of the most affected regions during the ‘Thane’ cyclone. Even when the storm brought severe damage to Panruti, the ‘Aayiram Kaaichi’ managed to stand still and somehow survived. Ramasamy, the 72-year-old farmer, hails from Maligampattai near Panruti. He maintains mango, jackfruit, cashew, guava, and tamarind trees on his 5 acres of land. One jackfruit tree in his garden is an eye-grabber– the 2 centuries-old trees.

Speaking to us, Ramasamy said ‘This grove is our heritage property. The only jackfruit tree that my ancestors planted is still standing strong. When I was a kid, I was told that the tree began to bear fruit 8 years after it was planted. Every subsequent year, the tree will drop a thousand pollination. Of them, only 350 will be made to start fertilizing and growing. The rest of them will be cut off. This is because if we leave out all the pollination, obesity will decrease. The maintenance undergoes many other processes. Apparently, each jackfruit weighs 10 kg to 80 kg, while the taste of the fruit from this tree is twice as good as the others,’ the farmer said.

Further, he said that the 2011 Thane cyclone devastated the Cuddalore district and most of the jackfruit trees and cashew trees in the Panruti area were uprooted. ‘This 200-year-old jackfruit tree was also minorly affected. It lost its leaves and appeared bald. However, I maintained the tree on the advice of the agricultural officials. It was after three years only the ‘Aayiram Kaaichi’ tree began to bear fruits and it continues every year successfully,’ Ramasamy added.

According to the farmer, the tree is called the ‘Aayiram Kaaichi’, since it leaves as many as a thousand pollinations a year. Recently, when officials from Palur Research Center visited to collect seeds, the machine they had initially predicted that the tree might be 150 years old. Eventually, they also said that the machine they had could only predict a tree up to 150 years. Following this, they estimated that it is more than 200 years old and maybe five generations long.

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