Shree Padre Nominated Global Jackfruit Ambassador
Mangaluru: Shree Padre, a journalist and water conservation campaigner from Vaninagar in the grey zone between Karnataka and Kerala, has been nominated the Global Ambassador for Jackfruit Campaign by Shantigram, an NGO from Kerala.
He was honoured with a memento as a token thereof by Kerala’s agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, July 20.
Shree Padre is a progressive farmer, engaged in growing arecanut, coconut, pepper plantations. He took to farming-based journalism in 1974.
”Adike Patrike”, a Kannada monthly launched from Puttur was his initiative. Its ethos is based on farmer-oriented inputs and reportage straight from the ground level, literally so.
Concerned over the fast-dwindling water tables in the western coast, he, through the medium of the monthly, took up a vigorous campaign for water conservation in 1996.
He was responsible for bringing to light over 100 success stories of water harvesting from different corners of the region.
Jackfruit grows in plenty in the coastal districts. Yet, there is a stigma attached to its consumption by way of perceived ill effects on digestion. Research has proved it to be a myth.
On the othe hand, the jack has a good number of positive properties which were hitherto latent.
With this idea in mind, in 2009, through the monthly again, he began a campaign to promote and popularize jackfruit. It elicited a tremendous response from different parts of the country and even the world.
The campaign has brought together growers from various regions enabling them to exchange notes. Besides, it has given a big boost to the jackfruit processing and preservation concept on a far wider commercial plank.