Rosy future awaits pannerale farmers in Kolar

Interestingly, the fruit, shaped like a small pear, can be grown in areas where water resource is scarce. Can the fruit fetch profits?

Yes, says Manjunath Reddy, a farmer from Baragur, who planted Rose Apple saplings six years ago in two acres of land. The saplings have grown into trees and have started bearing fruits.

The tree has long, glossy green leaves and white or greenish flowers. The skin is thin and waxy, and the hollow core contains a small amount of inedible fluff. The flesh is crisp and watery with a very mild rose scent and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Reddy, in order to overcome shortage of water, he even changed his cultivation methods.

Reddy, who use to earlier grow vegetables shifted to the cultivation of the fruit after the suggestion from a agricultural officer. Accordingly, he bought 100 saplings, each at a cost of Rs 20 from Government Horticulture Farm in Hesarghatta, Bangalore. Apart from adopting drip irrigation, Reddy cultivated ragi as a mixed crop thereby increasing his income.

The trees, which have started to blossom will bear fruits twice a year (June and September). “The last year’s yield didn’t fetch us the expected gains,” said Reddy who added that this year he was expecting one tonne yield.

Nutritional value

Reddy who has planted Lychees in another two acres of the land is expecting the yield in June, next year. He has grown ragi and papaya as mixed crop along with the fruits.

Today, diabetes has become a common and a deadly disease. Rose Apple is a panacea for the disease due to its high nutrition content. The demand for the fruit is only growing by days.

There is a high demand for the fruits in the Bangalore markets, as a kilogram costs around Rs 200. On an average, a single tree yields 30 kg of fruits.

 If the same price continues, Manjunath Reddy is bound make profits in lakhs. The fruit which has a very mild rose scent, is also used to extract scent.

Origin, scientific name

The plant is native to Southeast Asia but is naturalized in India. The scientific name of the fruit is Syzygium jambos but has several common names, including Malabar Plum, champakka, chom pu or chom-phu. Terms like ‘plum rose’, ‘rose apple’, ‘water apple’, ‘malay apple’, ‘jambrosade’ and ‘pomarrosa’ can also refer to many other species of Syzygium, while ‘jambu’ can also mean a guava. The name Jambu being used for this fruit is in all likelihood limited to one or two languages of the twenty odd major ones prevalent in India.