Page 18 - Agric Info Mag 2018 - 01
P. 18
By Michael Gloster
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) Moraceae, a starchy tree crop, is native to Mi-
cronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. Breadfruit was first introduced to St.
Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) in 1793 by Captain William Bligh to ad-
dress food security. Several factors led to the introduction of breadfruit in
the Caribbean. The first was the War of American Independence in 1775-
1783, which led to shortage of food to the islands due to trade embargo and
wartime capture of America ships, and the second was a severe drought in
fore 1793. Today, SVG has the largest breadfruit genetic di-
versity in the West Indies. The breadfruit flourished in the
tropical climate of St. Vincent, and some of the new trees be-
gan bearing fruits in two years.
When breadfruit was initially introduced in SVG, the
fruit was not well received by the slaves, and was fed to ani-
mals, mainly pigs. Also, some of the plantation owners com-
plained that the trees took up a lot space which could have
been used for sugarcane. Hence, many trees were cut down.
A Young Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) However, over the years, breadfruit has elevated from being
referred to as ‗slave food‘ to national prominence. The bread-
Jamaica, hurricanes and other natu- fruit is now a main staple in Vincentian diet. The leaf of the
ral disasters which significantly affected breadfruit tree was the emblem on the Independence Flag, and
local food supplies. To stem the rapid de- ‗Roasted Breadfruit and Fried Jackfish‘ is the national dish.
pletion in the labour force for sugar, the There are breadfruit
planters and merchants petitioned and festivals, with North
made urgent request to the then British Leeward‘s being long-
government to organize an expedition to est running one in the
acquire breadfruit, a cheap food source for world.
the West Indian colonies. The reasons for The breadfruit is a
breadfruit introduction was that it was re- symbol which repre-
ported that it bears fruits nine months of sents every aspect of
the year, as a tree crop it requires little la- the Vincentian soci-
bour, and was less susceptible to hurri- ety. It is resilient- be-
canes than plantains. Hence, breadfruit was House made of Breadfruit cause the tree requires
introduced. Of the total of 530 breadfruit wood. little management to
plants introduced into St. Vincent, 50 trees fruit and bear. Breadfruit is adapted to a wide range of soil
were planted at the Botanic Gardens and and weather conditions. The tree requires little nutrients and
the other distributed locally and to the is self-sustaining because the fallen leaves, inflorescences and
other Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, fruit enrich the soil and replenish the tree. Breadfruit is toler-
and Tobago. Captain William Bligh re- ant and resistant to many local pests and diseases. These char-
ported that he brought six breadfruit varie- acteristics have ensured that breadfruit remained a dominant
ties; five seedless and one seeded. The feature of the Vincentian landscape.
seeded variety, referred locally as breadnut
(Artocarpus camansi) was introduced from In SVG, breadfruit has many food and non-food uses.
Tahiti. However, breadnut plants from The fruit of the seedless breadfruit is rich in carbohydrates,
Martinique were reported in SVG even be- has low energy level, low protein, appreciable quantities of
