Papayas are sold at P50 per kilo at the public market located in front of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is located on F. Llamas Street in Barangay Punta Princesa, Cebu City. | CDND PHOTO / Gerard Francisco
CEBU CITY, Philippines — It is an unassuming fruit that has various health benefits including anti-cancer properties, bone health and asthma prevention.
Papayas, or kapayas in the Visayan language, is a year-round fruit that most people enjoy eating when ripe. Its orange flesh can be made into smoothies or added to salads.
A study entitled “The State of the Fruit Industry in the Philippines” by Marco Rafael Espino and Rene Rafael Espino of the University of the Philippines Los Baños noted that papaya is grown in small farms, about one to five hectares, with productivity period of three to four years.
The major varieties are Solo, Cavite Special and Sinta based on data covering the period of 2008 to 2013.
The data was obtained from the Philippines’ Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), Department of Agriculture- Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) and Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD).
“On a regional level, the major growing area are SOCCSKSARGEN, Northern Mindano, Western Visayas and Central Luzon in terms of area devoted to this crop. For SOCCSKSARGEN and Northern Mindanao areas, these serves the need of the Dole and Del Monte,” the study reads.
Papayas are sold at P50 per kilo at the public market located in front of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on F. Llamas Street in Barangay Punta Princesa, Cebu City. / celr