Sharjah: Due to heavy rains in Kerala, jackfruit production has gone down and export has come to a standstill. This in turn has reduced the availability of jackfruits in the UAE. Currently, UAE is depending mainly on Vietnam for importing jackfruit. Traders said that the price has increased exponentially.

The price of half a kilo of jackfruit rose to 40 Dirhams (Rs 900 approximately) in Sharjah on Sunday. Ganesh, the manager of Lulu Hypermarket in Sharjah Nabba said that the price of jackfruit also increased in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), after export from Kerala stopped.

Until last month, jackfruit and mangoes were the main staples in the luggage of Malayalis returning to the Gulf countries after vacations in Kerala. Hence, the price of jackfruit was quite low in the UAE markets. With Onam coming soon, the price of jackfruit and mangoes will rise further.