Horticulturalists push for ‘elite’ fruit varieties

Horticulturists are recommending fruit growers in the state to propagate ‘elite’ varieties in an effort to satisfy the demands of food and juice-processing industries.

Among the favoured fruits being pushed are the new Siddu jackfruit and the Arka Kiran guava. Both are sources of lycopene, which has antioxidant properties associated with decreasing the risk of cancer and other chronic cardiovascular diseases.

Dr Karunakaran G, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), explained on the sidelines of the Jackfruit and Mango Mela at the Chitrakala Parishath in Bengaluru on Sunday that the proliferation of ‘elite’ varieties of fruit in the state would allow farmers to turn a better profit by selling exactly those varieties which are high in demand in the domestic and international market.

“There is a huge market for fruits rich in lycopene, which the state has not been able to fill,” he said.

According to statistics released by the Horticulture Department, a total of 439 hectares of land was used for fruit cultivation in 2016-17 resulting in the production of 7,425.11 metric tonnes of produce. The statistics also reveal that while the growth in hectares for fruit cultivation had inched along at 3% eight years ago, it has increased to 9% in recent years.

The growth is seen as being commensurate with fruit growers being selective in the type of varieties they are growing and turning a profit, according to agricultural experts.

Venkatesh Krishnaniah of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, who had been earning only a few thousands rupees per year from his white guava plantation. “By growing 2,000 Arka Kiran guava trees, which produces the popular pink variety, per acre, my annual yield is now 20 tonnes in the third year. The guava sells anywhere from Rs 30-70 per kg,” he said, and added that pink guavas sell for nearly $12.5 per kg in the United States.

IIHR officials denied that by focusing fruit produce in the state to just a few varieties would create an eventual glut in the market reminiscent of the crisis vanilla growers faced in 2005, following overproduction of the spice.

“There is now major demand from food and juice-producing industries,” said Dr M R Dinesh, the director of IIHR, adding that homogenising production of fruits to a few varieties would also result in more ‘even’ produce for food companies.

When asked if focusing on favoured varieties would lead to the neglect and extinction of other varieties, Dr Karunakaran said the IIHR has
conserved three plant samples for each of the 750 varieties of mango, 110 varieties of jackfruit identified in the state so far, plus vegetable and aromatic plant varieties, at a Field Gene Bank in Hesaraghatta.