BENGALURU: Siddu Halasu, a rare variety of
jackfruit tree, located in Seegenahalli near Cheluru of Tumakuru district, is now under CCTV surveillance.
The tree, which is universally recognised for the unique taste and nutritional value of its fruits, draws orders from across the world for its saplings. Given the huge demand, it is frequently targeted by miscreants, prompting the horticulturist owning it to install CCTV cameras for safety.
In fact, the tree is the first object in the entire village — home to more than 300 people — to get such a security net.
None of the houses or shops have it.
SS Paramesha, who owns the farm and the tree, said NRIs from 40 countries, in addition to customers from India, continue to procure saplings. “Scientists from the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru, with whom I signed an MoU for raising saplings, keep taking the jackfruits to fairs and for VIPs. The tree’s fame has generated envy among some and there are thieves targeting it. A few months ago, I wanted to carry some jackfruits for display at a
horticulture conference in New Delhi, but the previous night miscreants stole 10 fruits from the tree,” he said.
Paramesha then decided to go for
CCTV cover and spent about Rs 25,000 on it. “The security cover has four cameras focusing on the tree from various angles, sensors that send alerts if anybody approaches the tree and a monitoring set-up equipped with 24x7 power back-up. The system sends alerts on my cellphone about any threat to the tree and helps me keep an eye on it even when I’m travelling,” he added.
MR Dinesh, director, IIHR, Bengaluru, said CCTV cover is helping the farmer to monitor the rare variety, which has entered the international market. “Before our scientists from IIHR established unique properties of the jackfruit variety, the farmer’s family would earn about Rs 8,000 a year. Now, with more takers for the saplings and fruits, they are getting a revenue of about Rs 8 lakh. Paramesha is in demand for delivering talks at horticulture seminars and training sessions at our institute as well,” he added.