Retired Forest Official 68-yr-old Gabriel Stany Veigas is the ‘Jack of Jack Fruits’?

Retired Forest Official 68-yr-old Gabriel Stany Veigas is the ‘Jack of Jack Fruits’?

Mangaluru: Team Mangalorean during the Rachana Awards Night 2014 had met Gabrial Stany Veigas, one of the recipients of the Award for “Rachana Agriculturist of the year”, and was planning on doing an exclusive article during that time- but for some reason the plan didn’t materialize- however four years later, Team Mangalorean brings you an exclusive article on Stany Veigas, a retired forest official for turning 37 acres into model farm, with innovative farming practices.

Planting around 3400 plants of coconut, Mango, Rambutan, Cashew, grafted variety of jackfruit and breadfruit, he has in the last fourteen years converted his land into a high yielding agricultural plot. Gabriel Veigas was awarded Rachana Agriculturist of the year for introducing sustainable farming practices. The compere of the evening during the 2014 Rachana Awards mentioning that Stany Veigas looks like ” Amitabh Bachchan of Mangalore”, Veigas addressing the gathering had said, ” As an agriculturist, I urge every one of you at least plant one tree in your yard, so that we have fresh oxygen. We are living in a polluted atmosphere, we need more greenery around. Let’s work for a cleaner and greener environment”.

Among many other varieties of fruit trees, Gabriel Stany Veigas’ orchard has about 650 jackfruit trees now, including 55 of J 33, a Malaysian variety. His is Coastal Karnataka’s largest reported jackfruit orchard spread over about 10 acres near Moodbidri which has begun yielding fruit now. And it has specific varieties in large numbers to meet future industrial requirements for making value-added products. Even though this is not the right season of Jackfruit, but as they say better late than never, Team Mangalorean interacting with Veigas got the vast details about his farm.

The orchard, owned by Gabriel Stany Veigas, is located at Neerakere in Tenka Mijar village and has about 650 trees, including 55 trees of J 33, a Malaysian variety, most sought after now both for eating and making value-added products. “Jackfruit varieties from the dry belt take time to adjust to the atmosphere in high rainfall areas. They are susceptible to diseases. Hence, it better to plant local varieties. And the local varieties in my farm have not developed diseases since they were planted during 2013-14. For example, 200 trees of Prashanti and an equal number of Ananya varieties are robust. Other varieties like Prakash-Chandra with 50 trees, which bore fruit twice in a year, and Basruru Bili Bakke and Athi Madhura are also found here”, said Veigas.

He further added, “When particular varieties are planted in large numbers they will meet the industrial requirement of “quantity, quality and uniformity” while making value-added products like vacuum fry chips”. Referring to the economics of profitability Veigas said. “65 jackfruit plants could be accommodated on one acre of land. When scientifically cultivated with manure and watering, a tree could bear 20-30 fruits. Then a fruit would weigh 10-15 kg. One could get between Rs 15 and Rs 20 per a kg. One could earn an income of Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per tree. Thus one could get a minimum income of Rs 2 lakh per an acre by selling the fruits alone. If value-added products were made from those fruits, the income could be doubled”.

In his farm, Veigas has adopted drip irrigation to water the plants, and in addition, each plant has been provided with rainwater percolation pit to harvest rainwater.

Locally available vegetables and fruits only gain popularity when a celebrity endorses them. Often forgotten otherwise, native fruits are in vogue when the stamp of a famous person identifies them as ‘healthy’ or helpful for weight loss. One such fruit in the current limelight is the good old jackfruit, the Re-Entry of The Forgotten Fruit

Because of the various benefits of jackfruit, including its gut-friendliness, improved insulin sensitivity and great for hair, and other health-related benefits, many are cultivating Jack Fruit these days, including a neighbour of Veigas who has also planted 200 plants of J-33 variety on about two acres, who was prompted by the jackfruit cultivation of Veigas. As per sources, nutritionally, jackfruits are rich in carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins A and C, riboflavin’s, magnesium and potassium. Jackfruits are tropical fruits, which are a major source of healthy calories. They are also low in glycemic index and hence, are good for diabetics. This is due to their fibrous property, which leads to slow digestion and hence, stagnates blood sugar spikes. Even the presence of protein in jackfruits is known to help in controlling blood sugar levels.

The fibre and carbohydrate content in jackfruits is also good for digestion and even supports bowel regularity, especially for those suffering from chronic constipation. They are also packed with anti-inflammatory properties. It is because of this that jackfruits are ideal for those suffering from heart diseases and cholesterol issues. Since the tropical fruit contains antioxidants, it is advisable for such patients. The presence of vitamins A and C contributes to a stronger immunity. In south India, jackfruits are also known to treat issues such as diarrhea and asthma.

In conclusion, Stany Veigas said “If others also take such initiative it will help to ensure supply of a particular variety of jackfruit to the industry from a region for value addition. Then it will help both farmers and the industry,”.

Note: Since this is not a Jack Fruit season, few pictures incorporated in this article are File Pics