The document discusses the potential for generating rural employment in Bihar through the cultivation and processing of underutilized minor fruit crops. Some key points made are: - Minor fruits grow unattended on roadsides and wastelands but have nutritional and medicinal value as well as economic potential. Their cultivation and commercial production could boost incomes for small farmers. - Examples of underutilized fruits discussed that are grown in Bihar include aonla, jackfruit, jamun, and bael. These fruits are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. - Processing minor fruits into products like jam, jelly, candy and wine could add value and increase market demand. This would enhance incomes and benefit rural communities.

1. An opportunity to generate rural employment through
underutilized(minor fruits) fruits crops of Bihar.
KARANJEEV KUMAR

2. Introduction
Minor fruits are a group of fruits presently growing in a scattered and unattended
way on roadsides, homestead land.
It has lesser demand in the market are grown to a limited extent only.
Not usually cultivated in organized plantations with application of inputs.
These fruits are lesser-known fruits, underutilized fruits, less appealing fruits,
under-exploited fruits, wild fruits.
The challenges of malnutrition, profitability to farmers and the threat of climate
change continue underutilized crops appear to be the crops for the future and need
focused attention.
Many of them are rich in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and neutraceutical
properties.

3.  Underutilized crops are directly relevant to the rural masses especially of tribal,
dwelling in remote, hot, arid and fragile ecosystems.
 Many of the indigenous tropical and subtropical fruits have still remained
underexploited due to the lack of awareness, lower availability and location
specificity.
 The diversity of these fruits is also facing threat of extinction due to climate
change, large-scale urbanization and deforestation.
 Commercial production and processing for value addition of these crops would
enhance the income of tribal, small and marginal farmers.
 These fruits have a great economic potential and play a significant role in rural
areas by providing nutrient supplementary diet and generating side income to the
poor people.

4. Why underutilized fruits?
1.Reduce the risk of over-dependency on very limited numbers of major staple food
crops.
2. Help the poor for subsistence and income.
3. Increase sustainability of agriculture through a reduction in inputs.
4. Help to preserve and celebrate cultural and dietary diversity.
5. Use marginal and wastelands for agricultural purposes to meet the ever increasing
food demands.
6.Significant role in herbal medicine.
7.Attacks by deadly pests and diseases are relatively less in many of these crops.

5. Aonla (Emblica officinalis), Indian goose berry
India ranks first in the world in area and production of this crop.
Bihar has 1590ha area, 14920MT production and 9.3MT/HA productivity (NHB
2020)
This fruit is hardy, suitable to waste-lands, nutritive and therapeutic value.
Fruits contain high amounts of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), 600 mg/100g, and
antioxidant properties.
The main varieties of aonla are Banarasi, Francis Chakaiya, Kanchan, Krishna,
NA 6, N-10
Established aonla orchards in general do not require irrigation particularly in
normal soils.
An aonla tree may bear 100–300 kg/tree, giving 15–20 tonnes/ha.
It is used for making chatney, murrabba, candies, pickles, powder, etc.

6.  Aonla fruits are widely used in the Unani and Ayurvedic systems of the
medicines in the forms of the powder in various preparations such as
Chyawanprash, Rasayana, Triphala which promotes health and longevity
(Rajkumar et al., 2001).
 Increasing health consciousness among people as well as growing popularity of
alternate medicine and herbal products is enhancing the requirement of aonla
both in domestic and international markets.
 Necrosis a physiological disorder has been observed in aonla fruits. This
particular disorder has been observed mostly in case of Banarasi and Francis
varieties.
 Leaf rolling caterpillar, shoot gall maker, mealy bug and pomegranate butterfly
are major constraints in aonla production.
 The pests can be managed through clean cultivation, avoiding the over crowing
of branches, spraying with malathion or monocrotophos or endosulphon.

7. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Poor mans food
It is a typical Indian fruit mainly grown in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand,
Assam.
India has 185000 ha area and 1830MT production.
Its fruits are used both for culinary purposes and as table fruit but it is mainly
used for culinary purposes.
The primary economic product of jackfruit is the fruit used both when immature
and mature
The fruit is rich in carotene, potassium and carbohydrates, moderately rich in
ascorbic acid (Rahim and Quddus, 2000).
Gulabi (rose-scented), Champa (flavour like that of champak flower), Hazaric
(bearing large number of fruits), Rudrakshi.
Jackfruit seed is used for culinary preparation as vegetables and can be processed
into seed powder.

8.  The fruits are also used for preparation of pickles, dehydrated leather, thin
papad, soft drinks like nectar, squash and to some extent for canning
purposes.
 Jackfruit tree is a valuable timber for making furniture as it is rarely
attacked by white ants.
 They may help prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease, as well as eye
problems like cataracts and macular degeneration.
 Shoot and fruit borer is major insect pest in Jackfruit plantation.
 Unripe fruit Pickle, Chips, Papad, Brined Jackfruit, RTC Jackfruit,
Dehydrated Jackfruit, Culinary preparations, Cutlets, Biryani
 Fully ripe fruit Jam, Leather, Rind Jelly, Squash, Nectar, Canned Bulbs,
RTE Bulbs, RTS Drinks, Chutney, Toffee, Wine, Halwa, Kheer, Gulab
Jamun, Icecream, Custard, Cake

9. Jamun (Syzygium cuminii), Indian Blackberry
Jamun is indigenous to India. Its tree is tall and evergreen. Therefore It is
generally grown as avenue tree or as wind break.
It is a hardy fruit, it can be grown under adverse soil and climate conditions.
Its fruits are a good source of iron, sugar, minerals, protein and carbohydrates.
All parts of the jamun can be used medicinally and it has a long tradition in
alternative medicine.
Fully ripe fruits are eaten fresh and can also be processed into jam, jelly, squash,
wine(Goa).
The seeds can be processed into powder, which is very useful to cure diabetes
(Khurdiya, 2001).
It is used as a lotion for the cure of ring worm.

10.  The common variety grown under North Indian conditions is Ram Jamun.
 Its wood is used for manufacturing railway sleepers.
 Seeds contain an alkaloid Jambosin and a glycoside Jambolin which reduce
the diastatic conversion of starch to sugars.
 Fully ripe fruits are harvested daily by hand picking or by shaking the
branches and collecting the fruits on a polythene sheet.
 The average yield of fruits from a full grown seedling tree is about 80 to 100
kg and from a grafted one 60 to 70 kg per year.
 The fruits are highly perishable in nature. They cannot be stored for more
than 3 to 4 days under ordinary conditions.
 White fly and leaf eating caterpillar cause great damage to the tree.

11. Bael (Aegle marmelos), Wood apple
It is a deciduous tree with 6-8 meters in height with greenish white and sweet
scented flowers.
The Bael tree is considered as a sacred tree by the Hindus. They offer its leaves to
Lord Shiva during worship.
Drugs prepared from bael used to cure diarrhoea, dysentery, peptic ulcer,
respiratory infections and relieving constipation.
 Important medicinal properties of bael such as antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anti-
inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, cardioprotective, antispermatogenic, anticancer
and radioprotective so it is considered to be medicinal plant.
Roots have antidiarrhoetic, antidote to snake venom, anti-inflammatory and wound
healing properties.

12.  swollen Joints few bael pulp mixed with hot mustard oil to be applied on the
affected area twice a day during morning and evening for relief.
 Powdered pepper in bael leaf juice is effective to treat jaundice and
constipation.
 The Bael fruit is one of the most nutritious fruits, rich in riboflavin and used
for the preparation of a number of products like candy, squash, toffee, slab,
pulp powder and nectar.
 Fruit cracking and fruit drop are two important physiological disorders found
in bael.
 NB 5, NB 6, Pant Shivani, Pant Aparna are important cultivar.
 A full grown tree produces from 400-1000 fruits depending upon the cultivar.

13. Processed product Minor fruits
Jam Jamun, Karonda, Aonla, Mulberry, Soursop, Tamarind,
Wood apple
Jelly Tamrind, Jamun, Karonda
Candy Aonla, Karonda, Tamrind
Wine Mahua, Ber, Indian Fig, Karonda
Juice/Syrup/Squash Aonla, Ber, Bael, Jamun, Tamarind
Chutney Karonda, Wood apple, Aonla
Pickle Jackfruit,Tamarind, Gonda
Canning Ber, Aonla, Jamun

14. Conclusion
Horticulture is the fastest growing sector in India and contributes immensely in
poverty eradication and nutritional security.
The minor fruits are reservoirs of several essential nutrient elements, vitamins and
minerals and bioactive compounds.
They have a greater potential to cure several deficiency disorders and also increase
the immunity against diseases.
Awareness is created among the consumers, which will subsequently benefit to fight
several nutrition related problems.
Need of increasing the area and production of these lesser known fruit and their
processed products.
Government and non-government organizations should play a vital role in
production, marketing, value addition and popularization of these minor fruits.