Papaya : The Celebrity Fruit
UPLB’s Dr. Domingo Angeles, a papaya expert, talks about the various potentials of this famed tropical fruit.
Not all fruits are created equal. Some are sweet and some are not. There is at least one so well liked that was important enough to have songs composed in its honor.
But what is this fruit which has one traditional song that cites it, with yet another one – a modern piece at that – also bearing its name?
You surely must pass on to your kids and grandchildren this very old ditty that’s so amusing, it goes like this:
Leron, leron sinta, buko ng papaya. Dala-dala’y buslo, sisidlan ng bunga.
Pagdating sa dulo, nabali any sanga. Tapos kapalaran, humanap ng iba…
I have known that song since I was a kid but only got to fully understand it when I did an interview on papaya for this article. It was only lately that I got to realize that the first line of the song has double meaning: sinta, which in old Tagalog, has the same meaning as “irog” or “giliw” or “mahal” and sinta, which is one of the three popular varieties of papaya as it is sold in the market usually as a ripe fruit.
A highly respected authority on papaya shares useful insights on this popular fruit – Dr. Domingo Angeles, Dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of the Philippines Los-Banos (UPLB), former National Network Leader at the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), Technical Consultant, Technology Applications and Promotions Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Philippine Council of Agriculture and Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), and private companies on fruit crops.
Dr. Domingo Angeles has written a chapter on Pre-harvest Factors Affecting Postharvest Quality of Papaya which appeared in the ASEAN Postharvest Handling Book. He has been involved in research on papaya nutrition and post harvest handling in the past. He was one of the contributors to the writing of Philippines Recommends for Papaya of PCARRD and Papaya Technoguide of the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center. He was also a contributor to the Philippine 2020, a strategic plan for exportable fruit crops of which one is papaya prepared by NAST. He has written a chapter on papaya in the Philippine Agriculture Encyclopedia.
Our resource person’s research endeavors on papaya, on top of pineapple, mango, and banana, among other fruit crops, started far back in time, so he surely knows papaya like the palm of his hand.
“Papaya is not a very cumbersome fruit to grow. It grows even in Cavite which has typically Type I (distinct wet and dry season) but not as productive as in ideal places. Ideal climate is one with even distribution of rainfall and typhoon free. Places with longer rainy season starting in May up to January are better than places with Type I climate.”
For best tasting papaya, go for fully mature, naturally ripened papaya. “Papaya usually matures in 5 – 6 months after flowering. They should be harvested as soon as there is a 10% tinge of yellow observed from ridges near the apex of the fruit. Fruit matures in five months during the dry season and six months during the rainy season.”
The Sinta variety of papaya weighs on the average about 1.5-2.25 kg and is sold in local market as fresh fruit. `Sinta’ is one of the most common variety of papaya in the Philippines, followed by two other varieties which are also sold in the market -`Solo’ papaya which is sold more to institutional buyers like hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets, our variety traded to Japan; and the `Red lady’ which weighs a little bigger – about 1.75 – 2.5 kg. It is also sold in local markets as fresh fruit. The market for `Red lady’ has been growing in recent years though the old-fashioned buyers prefer the good old sweet `Sinta’ papaya.
Whether `Solo’, `Sinta’, or ‘Red Lady’, papayas bear fruits in 4 – 5 months after planting. They are all easy to grow. East West Seed Company in San Rafael Bulacan sells Sinta and Red Lady, IPB UP Los Banos also sells Sinta. Harvest Seed Company also sells, Red Lady. Price of `Red Lady’ is about P1700/5g seeds.
Our resource person, who is a Professor of Horticulture specializing in fruit crops nutrition, advises growers to choose the variety they want to grow. At 2.5 x 2.5 m, growers will need 1818 plants/ha and at 3 x 3 m, 1111 plants/ ha will be needed. Half-hectare of land will do, however, for a small hold farm.
Dr. Angeles shares that the seedlings should first be raised then planted as soon as these reach about 15 cm tall. He reminds growers to germinate papaya in fertile, well drained medium.
“In the field, plant in well-drained soil preferably during the start of the rainy season at a distance of 2.5 x 2.5 or 3 x 3 m; fertilized with N at quarterly interval.”
He adds, “Apply borax every two months at the rate of 20-30 g/plant. Uproot seedlings infected with ringspot virus. The ringspot virus is papaya’s enemy no. 1 but during the summer, the plant may also be infested with mites.”
“Papaya can be very profitable as long as it is marketed properly. Market demand is for fresh, ripe papaya and not much for green papaya. Japan is the main market for ‘Solo’ papaya and all varieties may be sold in the local market. Farm gate price is P10-15 pesos per kg.”
According to Dr. Angeles, one fruit per plant is harvested sometimes weekly, sometimes every two weeks. Thus, with average fruit weight and plant density, a prospective grower can have an idea as to the weekly income from papaya.
“There is always the local fruit market for papaya but it is better is to pre-sell the fruits because sometimes it is difficult to sell all produce. This becomes a problem because the fruit is highly perishable.”
Ripe or ripening papaya fruits are quite sensitive so it is best to pack them in corrugated carton boxes or plastic trays and not in kaings. They must be carefully handled, taking care to avoid any impact that can affect their quality. With kaings, the fruits may be damaged due to the materials’ rough edges.
Popularity: 5%
Popularity: 5%
