The papaya fruit trees are plenty of fruits! I see that as a striking sight in most gardens. It is one fruit tree that seems to have benefited most due to the climate change of this year with the rainy season extending to about nine months.
We planted one papaya tree three years ago and we have none of them in our property, all because of bird droppings!
This vitamin A rich fruit was the main source of vitamin A during my student days in rural areas where vitamin A deficiency used to affect the eyes of malnourished children. On project the community medicine department of Government Medical College, Nagpur where I was a student undertook in few villages in 1970, was to provide a papaya sapling to each household. We as students were required to visit these homes to make sure that the families took care of the fruit tree. It was rather sensational that children were protected from Keratomalacia since parents started giving this fruit to children. This was much before the supplementation of Vitamin A was included in the national health care programme.
There are at least five varieties of this fruit in our garden, each with a distinct appearance of colour in its leaves, shape of fruit and its colour inside when cut!
Most homes would have a curry leaf plant and a papaya fruit tree in their kitchen garden.
This fruit has some medicinal value to facilitate healing of wounds in the skin!
A fruit tree with manifold benefits!
A true symbol of life-giving presence!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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