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Exotic fruit companies from Panama and Nicaragua ready for a new challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic creates challenges for companies that want to export high-quality fruit. At the same time, it has made the healthy living trend more important to European consumers. This means that healthy tropical fruits are high in demand for the European market.
Sweet and flavourful papaya from Panama
Based in the western part of Panama, Panafruit is a family-run business. It has been exporting papaya for over 20 years. Panafruit used an improvement programme to develop a new hybrid: the Hawaiian big papaya. This papaya is a mix between Taiwanese and Hawaiian varieties. It is flavourful, sweet and larger than average. Another benefit is that it can be produced all year round. Other countries have varying temperatures, but the seasonal changes in Panama are minimal.
More colour and a brighter future for Nicaraguan red pitaya farmers
Thanks to its vibrant colour, fresh flavour and nutritional benefits, pitaya, or ‘dragon fruit’, has become a popular ingredient in fruit drinks, smoothies and desserts. Although commonly associated with Asian cuisine, this fruit is native to Central America.
Nicaragua-based agricultural development firm Burke Agro hopes to re-introduce European consumers to certified organic Nicaraguan red pitaya – a variety that offers higher amounts of pigmentation than others as well numerous health benefits. Nicaragua is currently one of the largest growers of organic pitayas in the world. To help local farmers access new markets, Burke Agro, a branch of Sol Organica S.A., recently decided to export three varieties to Europe: Lisa, Rosa and Orejona. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, these plans were delayed, but Burke Agro is on track to export certified organic and Non-GMO red pitayas to Europe in June 2021.