Richard Morais, Freelance Writer
FALMOUTH:
PAPAYA HAS great potential which needs to be tapped, that is according to Piers Harvey, managing director of the Trelawny-based Advance Farms, one of the leading producer and exporter of the fruit.
"Papaya has great potential but not many persons know about the fruit and its benefits, therefore, it is not in demand as it should," he told Farmers Weekly.
In explaining its benefits, Mr. Harvey noted that papaya has three times the vitamins as orange, is rich in antioxidants and has a special substance known as Papain that is highly beneficial to the digestive system.
According to the papaya farmer, one hectare of land can yield an average of 54,000 kilograms of fruit, however, declining to attach a monetary value as this, he said, would vary depending on the market. Because of the high labour-intensive nature of the crop, and the decline in yields, the net return from papaya cultivation is well below that of the pre-1996 profits level.
Eighteen months after planting, mature fruits can be reaped and the papaya tree will continue to produce fruits for about 27 months, yielding marketable fruits every week.
The parish of Trelawny produces approximately 70 per cent of the national yield of papaya. Brazil and Belize are Jamaica's major competitors in the overseas market. Belize has doubled its production over the last two years while Jamaica's production and productivity declined steadily since 1996.
