Papaya is one of the most popular fruits used in large quantities in Tanzania. Also, this fruit can have various health benefits, in promoting the economy of the farmer of this crop. It can also be a great source of foreign exchange for exporting.
The production of papaya in Tanzania is small compared to the needs of consumers, so more energy is needed in the production of this product.
Sexually papaya is divided into three types.
Papaya with only male flowers.
Poppy with female flowers only.
Papaya with flowers of both sexes (Hermaphrodite papaya).
In production, all types of papaya are needed.
Papaya with male flowers is needed in the fertilization of papaya with female flowers to get fruit.
A papaya with flowers of both sexes does not need a papaya with male flowers because it can fertilize itself.
Due to the gender of the flowers papaya can produce fruits with different shapes. Fruits produced from papayas with only female flowers are more oval or egg-shaped and fruits produced from papayas with flowers of both sexes are more elongated or pear-shaped.
PAPAY CROP PRODUCTION.
Papaya seeds In the production of papaya seedlings, there are two types of seeds that can be used:
1. Local seeds.
These are seeds that can be collected from local papayas. This type of seed is difficult to tell which one is male, female or unisex.
So you will have to uproot some of the male papayas when they flower, thus leaving the females and those of both sexes. Poppies with male flowers should be left at a ratio of 1:50 of poppies with female flowers.
2. Hybrid seeds (Hybrid seeds)
This type of seed is good because all the seeds are papayas with female and male flowers at the end (Hermaphrodite papaya) and they also grow quickly and produce short trees with a large yield compared to the local ones. . An example. Red Royolen F1 or ANGEL F1.
PLANTING.
Plant only one seed per well-mixed pot three-quarters full. Then put your pots with seeds under the shade and water them. After watering, you can spray a small amount of fungicide (fungicide & insecticide) on your soil to prevent insects and fungi from harming your plant.
Papaya seeds can take 8 to 15 days to emerge from the soil. So make sure you water every day in moderation. Do not water it too much. Papaya can be raised from the nursery after six to eight weeks.
SKY NURSERY AND SOME IMPORTANT FACTORS CAN AFFECT SKY GROWTH.
Papaya prefers well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5. When possible avoid planting your plants in clay and gravelly soil. The amount of water in the soil can indicate the size of the fruit.
An area with very moist soil can produce large and juicy fruits and an area with little moisture can produce small and hard fruits. Poppy can't tolerate strong winds, flooded water and drought.
FIELD ORGANIZATION.
The way to prepare the farm will depend on the area (topography), the type of soil, the equipment used to service the farm. The space between plant and plant is 2 to 2.5 meters and between line to line is 2.5 to 3 meters.
Prepare holes with a width and length of 60 cm. Separate the bottom and top soil. Then mix the topsoil with compost. When throwing in the hole, first put the soil mixed with manure at the bottom and finish with the soil that you take out from the bottom when digging the hole.
The amount of the plant is between 1000 to 2000 per hectare (400 to 800 per acre) Planting the plants in the field After those six to eight weeks, your plants do not end up in the field. Plant transfer work should be done early in the morning, in the evening or when there are clouds to prevent the effects of the sun on the plants.
FERTILIZER APPLICATION.
Prevent the use of fertilizers containing chlorine because the papayas will be affected by chlorine. One week after transplanting your seedlings, apply 28 grams of fertilizer per seedling. Use a phosphate-rich fertilizer.
Example; - 12:24:12. (NPK) After that, every two weeks, apply fertilizer with Nitron in a large amount of 56 grams per plant. An example. 20:10:10 (NPK) Potassium is needed for flowers and to set fruits, so use a fertilizer with a large amount of potassium as soon as you see your plant has started to set flowers, an amount of 114 grams of fertilizer is needed, do this every month. An example. 12:12:17 + 2 (NPK) . Apply foliar fertilizer with small nutrients including boron every day. Boron is an important fertilizer in getting good fruits.
IRRIGATION.
Water is a very important part of a plant's life for the entire period. Water is very important in keeping flowers, fruits and fruit growth. During fruit growth make sure you put 23 liters per plant per week.
Weeds Be sure to control weeds early to prevent competition between plants and weeds for nutrients and water. And also prevent weeds from carrying parasites and insects that can affect your crops.
STAGES OF POPULAR GROWTH.
Nursery - Weeks 1 - 6 - Rapid shedding stage after transfer.
Field - 7 -16 weeks - Flowers and fruit set.
Weeks 17 - 21 - Fruit development.
Weeks 22 - 26 - First harvest
Week 37 - to be continued Week 37 is nine or ten months, that's why papaya cultivation takes 10 months to get a harvest.
COST
Buying an acre depends on the location and the relevant price.
Buying seeds 50,000-100,000 tsh.
Irrigation every day - planting - moving from the nursery to the farm - irrigation machine 1,500,000/-
Generator tsh 6 lakh
Fertilizer 100,000 tsh every month - and laborers in the field - plowing with a tractor 40,000 All costs about 3-4 mil hiv until harvest.
YIELD AND PROFIT.
If you have cultivated one acre, you can get 15-35 fruits for the first harvest. Let's do the math. An acre has 400-800 seedlings. Let's say we get 600 seedlings per acre, each plant should produce 20 fruits at least 600×20=12,000.
Fruit Market At the moment you can sell wholesale total 1500-3000 tsh Sell it at a low price 1500 for each papaya 12000×1500=18,000,000/- If you take out the operating costs you can keep 14,000,000 tsh or take 4,000,000 keep it in emergency you can get 10 mil tsh for only one acre.
Cultivate Professionally to increase your income ............................................ .............