Although papayas have long been a fruit staple in the Mexican diet, consumers are becoming more conscious of quality, according to Roberto García of Propapaya's development department. Greater expectations are creating a tough order to fill for producers.

Rather than choosing fruit for size alone, García said consumers today focus more on quality, including flavor, appearance and shelf life. Consumer awareness is shifting the papaya paradigm in Mexico and forcing producers to seek out new, better hybrids.

"Today we have approximately 5% to 10% of the papaya farmland planted with hybrid varieties like Tainung 1, Red Lady, Intenzza and exclusively, Royal Star," he said.

95% of papaya farmland in Mexico is dedicated to Red Maradol, a variety that entered the Mexican market 30 years ago and until now, has produced the best sales results.

"The variety produces mid-sized fruit, about 2-3 kgs (4.4 to 6.6. lbs), with superior sensory characteristics and high productivity compared to national varieties like Zapote, Mamey and Cera, which don't have the best flavor, size or appearance."

Although Maradol papayas experienced exponential growth in the early years for their quality and flavor, García said, consumer expectations have gone up in terms of both quality and production methods.

"Today consumers focus more on smaller fruit with good flavor, appearance and longer shelf life. Because of this, in the last few years, farmers and traders have been given the task of trying new hybrid material with the end task of finding papayas that meet market expectations," he said.

"Families currently have fewer members, so fruit size has tended to decline. Similarly, differentiation in papaya variety and appearance has allowed market segmentation."

For García, the issue of finding new varieties relates directly to market demands and generating quality fruit. These factors depend on climate conditions in production zones.

"We found that desirable characteristics in a breed are adaptation to different environments, early ripening, small size, high productivity, disease and pest tolerance, quality consistency throughout the production cycle, among other things."

Mexican papaya with guaranteed quality

Almost all Mexican papaya production is intended for domestic consumption with only 10% going to export for markets such as the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Exportation is still an important market element, however, which means a dual challenge for the industry.

"Mexican produce intended for export are high quality, since the majority go the U.S. which is the most demanding market. Because of that, our farmers and exporters have created a work culture based on certification and implementation of good farming practices. This way the fruit has the traceability and quality the consumer requires on almost any export market."

Despite domestic focus, García said Mexico should also consider markets like Belize, Guatemala and Brazil.

"There are other countries that are investing in papaya export, such as Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. This gives more options to consumers and, as a consequence, diversifies the market."

According to García, if Mexico promotes papayas and takes the necessary measures to meet demand, there is no doubt that this crop will have a big impact on the world horticulture scene.

"The projections are encouraging because the market is diversifying and the consumer has more papaya varieties to choose from. This will allow fruit consumption to become increasingly popular."

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