- Bahadoli, a village in Maharashtra’s Thane district is popularly generally known as the Jambhulgaon for its abundance of jamun bushes.
- Heavy, unseasonal rains final 12 months delayed the flowering of the fruit, impacting its yield. The fruit is often picked and bought in summer time.
- Jamun cultivators, seasonal sellers and merchants have needed to face heavy losses, as most of their livelihood relies on this fruit.
Each summer time, one sees the recent, shining, deep purple jamuns seem in fruit markets throughout Maharashtra. This fruit, with its sweet-and-sour style, has international demand. India is among the highest producers of jamuns, with Maharashtra on prime of the listing of jamun-producing states within the nation.
“You see these jamun bushes? They’re as previous as 1885 and date again to the time of our ancestors,” says Prakash Kini, pointing to the bushes. Kini is a jamun cultivator from Bahadoli, a village within the Palghar tehsil of Maharashtra’s Thane district. Bahadoli can be popularly generally known as Jambhulgaon, or the village of jamun bushes. It’s a affluent village with previous, big jamun (Syzygium cumini) bushes at each different nook.
Prabhakar Patil, one other jamun cultivator, has witnessed many seasons and seasonal adjustments on this village. “You see this tree? It was planted by my nice grandfather,” he says, whereas strolling as much as the tree. “It has been right here since his time. And this isn’t distinctive. You will notice many such bushes planted by our ancestors on this village.
Bahadoli is unfold over 297 hectares, of which 106 hectares is arable land the place mango, tamarind, and a big amount of jamun is grown.
Situated on the confluence of the Surya and Vaitarana rivers, Bahadoli is understood for its fertile alluvial soil, which contributes to the superb high quality of its produce. Bahadoli jamuns are greater in dimension and recognized to be sweeter in style, with smaller seeds and extra pulp with every fruit. They’re recognized to be wealthy in antioxidants, nutritional vitamins and minerals.
Most farmers right here domesticate jamun which takes about 5 to 6 years to start fruiting. They rely on it for his or her annual revenue. Summers see recording-breaking yields of jamun and farmers commonly reap large income.
Final 12 months, nonetheless, the late flowering of the fruit, brought on by heavy rainfall, left cultivators and native residents nervous and anxious concerning the upcoming season.
“We [women] pluck the fruits and check out promoting it right here by the road aspect,” says Pramilabai, whereas standing on the slim tar highway close to Bahadoli, once we visited her final monsoon. She holds an enormous umbrella in her hand, defending her jamun inventory from the heavy showers. “The heavy rains forestall us from plucking too many jamuns. We then do it in small batches and are available right here to promote them. The passers-by normally purchase these.” She says that issues have been troublesome for the village residents this 12 months (2024).
She additional says, “We plucked jamuns round summer time of 2023. However this time (2024), they immediately got here within the monsoon, and we needed to face heavy losses.” The late flowering of the fruit has made many, together with Pramilabai, nervous.
The village of jamuns
It’s stated that the abundance of jamun bushes gave the massive landmass of the Indian subcontinent its historical title – Jambudweep. Jambu means jamun and dweep means land in Sanskrit, translating to ‘a land of jamuns’.
The Bahadoli jamuns, specifically, are particular. In 2023, jamuns of Bahadoli, together with these from the neighbouring villages of Khamloli, Dhuktan and Pochade, acquired a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, an indication used on merchandise which have a selected geographical origin and possess qualities or a repute which can be attributable to that origin. The GI tag helps these merchandise get international recognition.
The jamun bushes in Bahadoli sometimes bear fruit in summer time, following the standard farming sample for this crop. The fertile alluvial soil, because of the rivers, contributes to the standard of its produce.
These jamuns are increased in demand, compared to different jamuns. Due to this fact, the impression of the altering climate on its yield, is worrisome.
Prabhakar Patil expresses happiness and contentment with the bushes he has nurtured for a few years, which at the moment are offering a livelihood. “We used to stroll to the Vasai railway station again within the day and promote these jamuns,” he says. “Now we now have a highway, so we additionally promote it by the roadside.”
The Bahadoli jamun was well-known within the surrounding space, nevertheless it by no means had nationwide recognition earlier. The demand for this selection was primarily on the native degree. “For a number of generations, my household has been within the enterprise of jamuns,” says Mandar Patil, one other jamun cultivator. “The bushes you see in our land immediately had been planted even earlier than I used to be born.”
Mandar was speaking to us in his farm, cleansing and packing jamuns into packing containers all alongside. “The particular options of our jamuns had been fairly well-known,” he says. “As soon as, a number of officers from the state agricultural division approached us with an thought of organising an exhibition for these jamuns. We had hosted our first exhibition in 2004. This slowly made many individuals conscious of the Bahadoli jamuns and we now have the GI tag.”
Getting the GI tag
Because the farmers of Bahadoli started to understand that the jamun rising right here is particular and may get them an excellent revenue, extra farmers acquired into jamun plantation. They planted jamun saplings of their paddy fields, too. In the present day, many of those saplings have now grown into big bushes. The help of the agricultural division ensured elevated productiveness and was instrumental in making use of for a GI tag. The farmers within the village thus established a jamun producers’ group.
Kini, the chairman of this group, tells us that the group held a number of conferences, supported by the division of agriculture. “We examined the standard of jamuns and analysed why they particularly grew on this area,” he says. “We additionally acquired the soil examined and researched about what the fruit incorporates. The scientists from the Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, an agriculture college in Dapoli, established that these jamuns, together with the powder of their pores and skin, might assist in treating diabetes.”
As well as, the agricultural division organised a number of coaching programmes in Bahadoli village, to encourage native farmers to ‘sow what sells’. The scientists from the Konkan agricultural college held public conferences and supplied steerage within the quest of acquiring wholesome and engaging jamun fruits.
“We had utilized for the GI tag for Bahadoli jamuns in 2022,” Jagdish Patil from the Division of Agriculture, Maharashtra, advised us. “After which, we acquired the GI tag on September 5, 2023.”
Heavy rains forestall jamun choosing
Most farmers in and round Bahadoli have planted jamun. Aside from jamun, their common crop is paddy. Nevertheless, we noticed extra jamun fruits rotting within the mud than intact on the tree, once we visited final monsoon. Glancing at these fruits, Mandar says, “That is all because of the rains. Our common season is summer time. However this 12 months…” he trails off.
Through the years, the villagers have expanded the jamun plantation, with the intention to maximise income. We noticed a number of of them, largely girls, promoting jamuns by the road. Some had packed them in packing containers, some had been carrying them in baskets. All of them eyeing potential prospects.
Geeta Kini, one among these many ladies, spoke to us. “Our jamuns are very well-known and in demand,” she says. “Yearly, you will notice at the very least 50 of us [women] promoting jamuns by the streetside. Nevertheless, this 12 months, there are only a few of us, as a result of we misplaced numerous our crop.”
Rohini, sitting subsequent to her, continues, “You see, the monsoon coincided this 12 months with the jamun flowering season,” she says. “So, we couldn’t go to pluck the jamuns because it was at all times raining heavy. Plus, the rains resulted in numerous jamuns falling off the tree.”
All of the streetside jamun distributors we spoke to, echoed the identical sentiment: there was not sufficient jamun to start with.
Kini elaborated on this whereas exhibiting us the jamuns in a basket: “Until about three years in the past, all of the jamun bushes would bear fruits by April,” he says. “The season then acquired delayed and the fruits began coming in Could. Then it went to June final 12 months (2023) and this 12 months (2024), we’re seeing the fruits in July. However, this additionally signifies that jamuns coincided with heavy monsoon showers. This has precipitated virtually 90 % of our common produce to go to waste. No matter little is left, we’re plucking and promoting it.”
As rains start, demand for jamun decreases
Yearly, Bahadoli and the neighbouring villages of Khamloli, Dhuktan and Pochade get a record-breaking amount of produce for jamuns. “A single tree can earn you minimal Rs. 5,000 all the way in which as much as Rs. 1.5 lakhs,” says Mandar. “If jamuns comply with the unique schedule, the preliminary price per kg is as excessive as Rs. 1,000 to 1,200. However now, the speed has fallen to Rs. 200 to 300.”
The native farmers say that after the rains start, the demand for the fruit progressively decreases. Prospects, apprehensive of worms inside the fruit, normally don’t purchase jamuns as soon as rains begin. “However this 12 months, the jamun season has begun amidst the rains. What can we do now?” asks Prabhavati Patil, a resident of the village.
She provides that whereas paddy fields and different greens being grown act as their different supply of revenue, “the cash required to even purchase these seeds, and different processes comes from our jamun commerce. This 12 months, since we didn’t break even, our whole planning is disrupted.”
Manoj Gupta is a jamun dealer and talks concerning the delayed jamun season this 12 months. “In comparison with 100 kg yearly, this 12 months we solely acquired 20 kg produce,” he provides. “Yearly, we get jamuns in Could. This 12 months, they got here by the tip of June, and lots of had been uncovered to water, thus ruining their style.”
Whereas jamuns from different locations come to the market too, the Bahadoli jamuns are highest in demand.
Learn extra: Madhya Pradesh seeks GI tag for the fruit of the endangered baobab in Mandu
What’s subsequent for these jamuns?
Sangeeta, who sells jamuns on the Vasai railway station advised us that her enterprise doesn’t run nicely anymore. “Now, our produce [that we buy] is dearer, and the amount can be low,” she says.
“It’s these incessant rains that precipitated all of the fruits to drop. As a result of the produce is so low, it’s supplied at an costly price. I can’t purchase it and there may be not a lot margin there anyway.”
In 2021, when cyclone Tauktae hit the west coast of India, it severely impacted the jamun bushes with over 100 of them being uprooted. The native cultivators had to make sure losses and had acquired substantial assist from the authorities. Nevertheless, three years later, they appear to have confronted the same loss this season.
“We’re consulting the scientists of the Konkan Agricultural College, and are undoubtedly going to attempt to cut back the losses for the following season,” says Jagdish from the Division of Agriculture, Maharashtra. “We’re additionally providing all of the assets required to make sure that the standard and the shelf lifetime of jamun goes up. There are additionally efforts being taken on the authorities degree to facilitate crop insurance coverage for jamuns.”
Proper after a rise in demand because of the GI tag, such a extreme drop within the provide is unlucky. “This 12 months, the farmers suffered because of the unseasonal rains, in addition to a rise in median temperature,” he provides. “Getting the bushes to flower in the precise season ought to be the main target. We now have been advised {that a} particular utilization of micro vitamins will profit the crops and cut back the losses. We plan to hunt the college’s steerage on this.”
Jamuns have a definite economic system. When the demand is growing yearly, discount in provide like this 12 months is a worrisome state of affairs, particularly for the cultivators and native individuals who depend on jamun gross sales. This additionally requires a wider dialogue about doable options. Local weather change is affecting all areas of life, so a sustainable resolution must be crafted after contemplating all components.
This story is produced underneath Undertaking Dharitri, a joint endeavor by Asar and Baimanus. Mongabay-India is collaborating with the Undertaking to spotlight local weather and gender points.
Learn the story in Marathi right here.
Banner picture: Farmers clear and pack the jamuns collected on the market. From left: Dayanand Patil, Pankaj Patil and Mandar Patil. Picture by Rushikesh Extra.
