Farming with new and modern methods brings quick success. Farmers grow papaya in most parts of the country, and there is always demand for it in the market, because doctors recommend eating papaya for many illnesses. Here is what farmers need to do to get a good papaya yield.

Papaya can be grown in all 12 months of the year. A temperature of 38-44 degrees Celsius suits papaya cultivation. Heatwaves and frost damage the yield. Loam soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 is good for papaya. Alongside papaya, farmers can plant pulses, peas, fenugreek, chickpea, beans, soybean and similar crops.

To grow papaya, seedlings are raised in a nursery, which needs 500 grams of seed per hectare. Once the plants have grown properly, they are transplanted to the field. Plants should be set 1 foot apart in the field, which raises production. Inside the nursery, plants should be treated with a fungicide.

After transplanting, the plant matures and the fruit ripens fully. When the top of the fruit starts to turn yellow, it is time to harvest. Farmers should pick papaya with the stalk attached. After picking, sort the fruit and remove any that are rotten.

A single papaya plant can yield up to 40 kg of fruit in one season. If 2,000 plants are grown on one hectare, the crop can yield up to 800 quintals of fruit in a season. Depending on market prices, growing papaya on one hectare can earn lakhs of taka.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.