Growing Papaya Commercially in Talakag

Papaya is a fruit that has always been taken for granted just because it is abundant and easy to grow. They are commonly consumed as fruits for dessert or as vegetables (while still green) for various recipes in tinolas, achara, etc. I believe even its leaves and seeds have medicinal properties. While usually grown from our humble backyard gardens, nowadays they are commercially grown in Talakag, Bukidnon as profitable enterprise too. So far, I have only visited two papaya plantations here in Talakag (one is in San Antonio just a stone’s throw away from the Kabalangasan river, while the other is in San Roque just across Bethany Christian School) but they are fast becoming a popular venture. Not only is commercial papaya fruit a key ingredient for canned fruit cocktails and preserves; concentrates for juice and smoothies; but in the last decade has become a vital raw material for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.