TRANSFORMING LIVES
Transforming Lives
The
Papaya Revolution in Pandaripani Kamar
India is the largest producer of papaya,
accounting for almost one-third of the world's total production, in 2020, India
produced approximately 4.3 million metric tons of papaya. Brazil and Nigeria
followed closely behind, producing 1.7 million metric tons and 1.2 million
metric tons, respectively.
Papaya is a tropical fruit
that is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It has a unique sweet
flavor that makes it an ideal ingredient for making jams, pickles, sauces and
even candies. Starting a papaya fruit business can be a great way to tap into
this lucrative market. With the right business plan and
marketing strategy, you can create delicious products using papaya and make money
selling them online or in stores. You can also offer custom-made products such
as jams, pickles and sauces made from fresh papayas to your customers. With
some creativity and hard work, you can create an exciting business venture with
papayas as the main ingredient!
Pandaripani Kamar village of Gariaband
district of Chhattisgarh state, nestled in the lap of nature, has 22 families
of Kamar group residing in the forest. Their livelihood was based on collecting
herbs and tendu leaves etc. from the forest. Apart from this, making wine pits,
cultivating rice and taking care of small farms also helped them a little in
their livelihood.
Like a ray of hope, Red-Lady variety of
“papaya” saplings were provided free of cost by IFFCO-Tokio. With
determination, they accepted this opportunity and worked diligently in their
fields. After planting only 50 saplings initially, they soon saw a tremendous
change within six months.
Encouraged by
the high yield from the papaya plants, they dedicated themselves wholeheartedly
to their new venture. Seeing the miraculous yield of 50-60 kg/year (for 2½
years) from a single plant, they took an important decision – to turn their
livelihood towards papaya cultivation.
At the market, they sold their produce for a higher profit
than they had earned previously. Encouraged by their success, they diversified
their crops, cultivating vegetables alongside their papaya orchards. Their
efforts did not go unnoticed; more families joined the papaya revolution, and
they reaped benefits far beyond mere financial gains.
As the village flourished, so did their enthusiasm, and they
found themselves adept at the art of multitasking. In this journey of
transformation, they expressed gratitude on the generosity of IFFCO-Tokio,
whose support propelled their journey from livelihood to prosperity. With new
skills and opportunities, the families of Pandripani Kumar stand as a testimony
to the power of collaboration and perseverance in rewriting destinies.