Philippine-bred varieties very popular abroad
And surprised they may be, because the sinta papaya is producing yields that are almost two times those of their old open-pollinated variety called mulir. On the average, Pakistani papaya farmers are harvesting an average of 140 fruits per plant during the sinta’s two-year productive life. The old mulir variety produces just about 60 fruits per tree.
There are more reasons why Pakistani papaya farmers love the sinta papaya. The plant matures four months earlier than mulir, and fruiting is continuous. The sinta is also much more resistant to the destructive papaya ring spot virus (PRSV). In addition to all this, the sinta fruits command a premium price of 60 rupees (0.80 euros) per kilo in the market compared to only 30 rupees for the mulir. Sinta papaya fruits are also better suited to handling and shipping.
One of the satisfied sinta growers is Syed Nazir Shah, who planted five acres with sinta the last season. From one acre, he was able to make 400,000 rupees (5,300 euros).
And then there is the pumpkin hybrid developed in the Philippines by East-West more than 30 years ago. The suprema is a favourite of Filipino farmers, particularly in northern Mindanao and some places in Luzon, but it has also become a favourite of pumpkin growers in other countries, like farmers in Sri Lanka where they have renamed the variety to arjuna.
Of late, the arjuna has also become a favourite pumpkin in Latin American countries like Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. The reasons are simple enough. The arjuna has an excellent taste and is resistant to diseases.
Lastly, there is the cariñosa papaya; a semi-dwarf hybrid also developed in the Philippines. It has now become an all-time favourite of Vietnamese farmers.
