From Tree to Trash: The untold story of "Jamun" waste in South Punjab

MULTAN, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jun, 2026) Every summer, thousands of jamun trees across South Punjab become laden with deep purple

fruit, but much of the harvest never reaches markets or consumers, instead, it falls to the ground

and perishes beneath the trees.

From Multan and Khanewal to rural settlements around Nawabpur, jamun remains one of the

region’s most neglected fruits despite its recognised nutritional and medicinal value.

Mango orchard owner Muhammad Sadaqat has between 100 and 125 jamun trees.

Yet, he admits that he has never commercially marketed the fruit.

"We eat some at home and distribute a little among relatives, but most of it falls and goes

to waste because there is no tradition of selling jamun here," he stated while talking to APP.

Sadaqat's experience reflects a wider trend across South Punjab, where jamun trees are

commonly planted inside mango orchards or along village lands, but growers rarely consider

them a viable source of income.

<?php /*?> <?php */?>

Unlike mangoes, citrus or guavas, jamun has a very short marketing window and lacks an

organised supply chain. He stated harvesting, grading and transporting the delicate fruit

requires labour and market access that many small growers do not possess.

Dilawar, another farmer believes that thousands of kilograms of jamun were lost every

year in South Punjab, making it perhaps the only major seasonal fruit in the region whose

significant share is never commercialized.

He however argue that better marketing, value addition through juices and processed products,

and linkages with urban markets could help transform jamun from an overlooked fruit into

a profitable niche commodity for growers.

For now, however, South Punjab’s purple treasure continues to ripen, fall and disappear

unnoticed beneath the trees, he lamented.