Karnataka

This fruit is making waves

The Taiwan Red-Lady variety of papaya fruit has brought a smile on the faces of several papaya farmers in Chitradurga district. The imported variety of the fruit is making waves in the district owing to its great quality, taste and, of course, profitability. It requires much less maintenance than the regular varieties. One farmer who has adopted this variety and is reaping good profits is M. Srinivas of Challakere taluk. He has cultivated papaya in 20 acres of land with an initial investment of Rs. 25,000 per acre. “The annual expense per acre does not go beyond Rs. 1,000,” he said. The fruit bearing period begins from the 8th or the 9th month of sowing and the farmer can reap the crop for three to five years. “It can even be stored for long time as it does not perish early”, he said. Mr. Srinivas said that the fruit has a good market, mainly in Maharashtra. Many buyers come all the way from Mumbai to purchase the fruit. The fruit is also being exported to Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and a few West Asian countries also. Mr. Srinivas sells 20 tonnes of fruit every week with the price per kilo ranging between Rs. 4 and Rs. 9. One acre of plantation can produce over 600 kg of fruits. He said that this year he is expecting about Rs. 50-lakh to Rs. 60-lakh in profit. “The other good thing is that we need not use chemical fertilizers. Manure is better for good yield,” he said. Though the fruit has great returns, seeds are difficult to get. “With the help of my friend, I imported seeds from Taiwan. I purchased 200 grams, paying Rs. 1,850 per 10 grams,” he said. Mr. Srinivas said that, at present, Challakere has six papaya farmers growing this variety, while there are 15 such farmers in the district. “I am sure in the coming days more farmers will join the league,” he says.

Firoz Rozindar in Chitradurga

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