Papaya: Introducing High-Yield Varieties Key to Healthy Profits
It
is native to southern Mexico and Central America, but has long been
known and cultivated in the home gardens by the people of tropical and
subtropical areas. It is one of the few crops which fruit throughout the
year, offering quick returns.
Over
time, it has grown from the status of a home-garden crop to that of a
commercial crop in many tropical countries as it is one of the highest
producers of fruits by per-hectare.
AREA AND OUTPUT
Over
the last two decades global papaya production has more than tripled to
105 lakh tonnes in 2009 from 31 lakh tonnes in 1989. This growth in
production has been accompanied by an increase in productivity to 25
tonnes a hectare from 14 tonnes a hectare. India is the leading producer
of the fruit and has increased its share in world production to 37 per
cent in 2009 from 11 per cent in 1989.
Other
major producers are Brazil, contributing 17.1 per cent (17.92 lakh
tonnes) of world tonnage, followed by Indonesia at 7.3 per cent (7.66
lakh tonnes), Nigeria at 7.3 per cent (7.63 lakh tonnes) and Mexico at
6.7 per cent (7.07 lakh tonnes).
A
growing population and increasing per-capita incomes have generated
robust demand for fruits in India. Besides, there has been a growing
trend towards healthier food consumption reflected in the growing
interest in the nutritional aspects of tropical fruits.
This
change is borne out by a multi-fold increase in production of papaya
over the last two decades, primarily on domestic demand.
Between
1991-92 and 2009-10, the area under cultivation for papaya more than
doubled to 95.7 thousand hectares from 45.2 thousand hectares in India,
whereas production witnessed an almost five-fold increase to 39.14 lakh
tonnes from 8.05 lakh tonnes. This was due to an increase in
productivity to 41 tonnes a hectare in 2009-10 from 18 tonnes a hectare
in 1991-92.
This
compares well withto the world average of 25 tonnes a hectare but lags
the other key producers like Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico.
Andhra
Pradesh produces a significant proportion of the crop at around 38 per
cent, with an output of 15 lakh tonnes and a yield of 80 tonnes a
hectare.
Gujarat
ranks second with a production of 8.32 lakh tonnes, followed by
Karnataka (4.19 lakh tonnes), West Bengal (3.21 lakh tonnes),
Chhattisgarh (2.12 lakh tonnes), Madhya Pradesh (1.93 lakh tonnes),
Assam (1.19 lakh tonnes), Kerala (0.8 lakh tonnes) and Tamil Nadu (0.74
lakh tonnes). Of these, the top four accounted for 79 per cent of the
total production in 2009-10.
GLOBAL TRADE
In
2008, global exports of papaya were 2,45,937 tonnes and worth about Rs
940 crore. Mexico is the largest exporter of papaya by volume accounting
for 37 per cent of the exports, followed by Brazil and Belize at 12 per
cent.
The
US accounts for over 50 per cent of papaya imports by volume and over
30 per cent by value. Other key importers are Singapore, Canada, the
Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Spain and Portugal.
India
exports less than 1 per cent of its produce primarily to West Asia.
This accounts for 3-6 per cent by volume and a miniscule 1-2 per cent by
value of global papaya exports.
The
ripe fruit is eaten raw or processed into juices, jams, canned cubes,
candied slices, ice-cream flavouring, etc. The unripe fruit is usually
cooked before consuming.
Green
papaya fruit and the tree's latex are rich in an enzyme called papain,
which has uses in medicine and industry. Papain is used as a protein
digestive and in the manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations for
digestive disorders.
It
finds extensive use in the manufacture of proteolysed preparations of
meat, liver and casein. It is also used in tenderising meat, softening
leathers, degumming natural silk and wool fabrics, chewing gums, tooth
paste and cosmetics.
POST-HARVEST
Papaya
is highly perishable with a shelf-life of four to six days after
harvest under tropical conditions and up to three weeks at
low-temperature storage. Post-harvest losses can be significant if
harvesting, packing and handling techniques are inadequate or
inappropriate.
Moreover,
sellers require the fruit at specific stages of ripeness for optimum
sales, which is around 50-70 per cent of yellow colouring. Therefore,
for the fruit to arrive in markets properly ripened, attention has to be
paid when packed, with adequate time buffer built in for transport.
Productivity
has been lower in India as compared to most major producing countries
due to cultivation of local low-yield varieties. Additionally, papaya is
highly susceptible to pests and diseases, which further lower
productivity. On the other hand, lack of information on post-harvest
handling, storage and transport practices leads to losses.
WAY FORWARD
Demand
for papaya in the domestic as well as export markets and its
profitability for farmers requires a deeper look at all opportunities
for its commercial exploitation.
The
Government and the private sector must work towards introduction of
higher yielding varieties and focus on infrastructure, transport and
human-resource development to minimise pre- and post-harvest losses.
Papaya is still primarily consumed raw.
Developing
more processing options and markets for processed products can reduce
post-harvest losses, besides adding value to the produce.
Source: YES Bank
