Tryst with exotic fruit continues in Kerala’s farms
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Bitter melons from North East, butternut squash from Central America, gac fruit from Vietnam, Loquat from China are some of the exotic products that farmers from the State are cultivating profitably
Kerala farmers continue their tryst with the exotic and more farmlands are finding space for new imports that include bitter melons or wild bitter gourds from North Eastern States of India, butternut squash from Central America and gac fruit from Vietnam and its neighbours. Along with these exotics, interest is being revived in the cultivation of loquat from China, which used to be cultivated by some farmers in soil rich in clay in some parts of the State. Gone are the days when dragon fruits and rambutan and musk melon used to be in vogue. V.R. Shine, a farmer, says that wild bitter gourd is in great demand and fetches up to ₹100 a kg. He has been a farmer throughout. Farming activities have intensified after he returned from the Gulf. He is 68 and continues to cultivate a variety of crops and recently he was introduced to the wild variety of bitter gourd by a worker from Assam, who taught him the basics of cultivating the vegetable.
Hailing from near Karumaloor, Mr. Shine says that the shop owners, who have been selling the produce for much higher price than his own sale price have been demanding more supplies though the recent dry spell has resulted in a halt in production.
Butternut squash is a great substitute for our own traditional pumpkin and can take the place of the old pumpkin in any of the preparations including for making ‘payasam’, a desert that goes with a full meal in the State.
K. M. Sebastian, a stone mason from near Kottuvalli, does farming as a mean of earning some extra income. In fact, he cultivates around 24 varieties of local vegetables including snake and ridged gourds, okra and vegetable cowpea on about 20 acres of leased land.
He said butternut squash has been in great demand in the market, which can be used to make shakes. It is sweet when ripe and can be eaten like papayas though the flesh is more dense. It can also be used as a great raw material for making jams and squash, he added.
The small vegetable and fruit garden developed at his home by Karukunnil Ashokan from Karumaloor panchayat is dominated by gac fruit from Vietnam. Gac fruit, said an official of the Department of Agriculture is some times described as the Fruit of Heaven. Mr. Ashokan is now interested in producing saplings of gac fruits and spreading the cultivation.
Kerala farmers continue their tryst with the exotic and more farmlands are finding space for new imports that include bitter melons or wild bitter gourds from North Eastern States of India, butternut squash from Central America and gac fruit from Vietnam and its neighbours. Along with these exotics, interest is being revived in the cultivation of loquat from China, which used to be cultivated by some farmers in soil rich in clay in some parts of the State. Gone are the days when dragon fruits and rambutan and musk melon used to be in vogue. V.R. Shine, a farmer, says that wild bitter gourd is in great demand and fetches up to ₹100 a kg. He has been a farmer throughout. Farming activities have intensified after he returned from the Gulf. He is 68 and continues to cultivate a variety of crops and recently he was introduced to the wild variety of bitter gourd by a worker from Assam, who taught him the basics of cultivating the vegetable.
Hailing from near Karumaloor, Mr. Shine says that the shop owners, who have been selling the produce for much higher price than his own sale price have been demanding more supplies though the recent dry spell has resulted in a halt in production.
Butternut squash is a great substitute for our own traditional pumpkin and can take the place of the old pumpkin in any of the preparations including for making ‘payasam’, a desert that goes with a full meal in the State.
K. M. Sebastian, a stone mason from near Kottuvalli, does farming as a mean of earning some extra income. In fact, he cultivates around 24 varieties of local vegetables including snake and ridged gourds, okra and vegetable cowpea on about 20 acres of leased land.
He said butternut squash has been in great demand in the market, which can be used to make shakes. It is sweet when ripe and can be eaten like papayas though the flesh is more dense. It can also be used as a great raw material for making jams and squash, he added.
The small vegetable and fruit garden developed at his home by Karukunnil Ashokan from Karumaloor panchayat is dominated by gac fruit from Vietnam. Gac fruit, said an official of the Department of Agriculture is some times described as the Fruit of Heaven. Mr. Ashokan is now interested in producing saplings of gac fruits and spreading the cultivation.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com