Taiwanese team supports papaya cultivation in Haiti

A Taiwanese technical team from the International Development Cooperation Fund (ICD) is supporting papaya growers in Haiti with seedling selection, crop management, and harvesting.

The team works with farmers throughout the cultivation cycle. One of the plots involved has developed into one of the few papaya farms in the region operating at scale and under regular crop management.

During the fruiting stage, growers remove diseased and older leaves to improve air circulation around the plants and fruit.

In Haiti, papayas are generally harvested green and consumed as a vegetable. The “Hongfei” variety, introduced from Taiwan, can also be allowed to ripen for consumption as a fruit.

The technical team is training growers to determine the appropriate harvest stage by monitoring changes in skin colour as the papayas ripen.