The Canary Islands want to develop the production of papaya

By selecting the most adapted varieties to increase the production.

 

The local Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Research Institute (ICIA) have established a program of studies to evaluate and select the best varieties of papayas. A gene bank was established with twenty different varieties from the Philippines, Costa Rica, Malaysia, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil.

 

The objective is to determine the best varieties, both for production and for the requirements of the market and consumers. The sugar content of the fruit is one of the important characteristics to reach.

 

The cultures of papayas now cover 310 hectares and production exceeds 16,000 tons. The development of the culture of papaya would bring additional income to certain areas of the archipelago.