South Punjab’s jamun harvest goes largely to waste

MULTAN: Large quantities of jamun produced each summer in South Punjab are going unused, with much of the fruit falling from trees before it can be sold or consumed.

Thousands of jamun trees across the region yield heavily every year, but the crop remains poorly marketed despite the fruit’s nutritional and medicinal value. The problem affects areas including Multan, Khanewal and villages near Nawabpur, where jamun is described as one of the region’s most neglected seasonal fruits.

Muhammad Sadaqat, a mango orchard owner who has more than 100 jamun trees, said the absence of a proper local market means most of the produce never enters commercial sale. He said a portion of the fruit is eaten at home or distributed among relatives, while the remaining harvest is lost.

The lack of an established trading system in the area is a central reason the fruit continues to be wasted year after year, even as trees produce abundant crops during the summer season.