7/27/2019 Papaya - Fruit With Growing Popularity

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7/27/2019 Papaya - Fruit With Growing Popularity

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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 bepaid when packed, with adeq uate time buffer built in for transport. Productivit