The Ware House Of Vitamin A C and Fibre-Guava.

The Guava fruit
 is a rich source of fibre, vitamins A and C, folic acid and several other minerals
and contains three times more vitamin C than an Orange.

Currently, India is the largest guava producing country, however, it is also cultivated throughout tropics and sub tropics, normally as a horticulture crop, with global production largely concentrated in India, Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, the US, Thailand and other countries.

Guava is well adapted and can be grown throughout India.

Guava occupies 3.5 per cent of the total fruit crop area in the country and is one of the major fruits though it is considered as a minor fruit in global trade.

Major cultivars that are grown in India are Allahabad Safeda, Sardar (Lucknow 49 or L-49), Lalit (Pink flesh), Anakapalli, Banarasi, Arka Mridula, Nagpur Seedless etc. Allahabad Safeda and Sardar are widely cultivated due to the commercial acceptability and demand in export markets.

Season

Planting season starts from June to July and can continue to December based on the rainfall conditions of the region. Fruits can be harvested after 2-3 years from planting and usually the peak production occurs after 8-10 years.

Guava is available in abundance during the peak months of July to August in North India, November to December and from March to April in the other parts of the country. Except May and June, Guava can be found in the markets in one or the other States in India.

Exports

India exports fresh or dried guavas to West Asian countries such as United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait etc, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Indonesia among others but the export value has come down in recent years as most of the fresh fruits are either consumed with in the country in fresh form or processed to various forms such as pulp and juices.

New Cultivation Practices

Traditional cultivation and crop management of guava were marred by serious issues due to pests, low productivity and large canopy required to manage the orchard.

The Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture in Lucknow has developed a new method of Guava cultivation using high density planting with meadow orchard that allows shorter plant height, better light interception and ease of cultural operations such as pruning of the branches, pesticide sprays, harvesting etc.

Meadow orchard is a modern way of cultivating fruits by use of small trees having modified canopy. While traditional guava orchards can accommodate up to 300 plants in one hectare of land, meadow orchard can accommodate up to 5000 plants.

Moreover, guava plants in meadow orchard start yielding in the first year of planting itself where as traditional plants start from the third year. It is important to note that to achieve good results by this method, farmers need to train and prune the orchard at regular intervals.

Guava, though is a simple crop requiring minimal resources, has a long way to reach the market size and export potential.

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