Dr. Sunil Sharma is the Principal Scientist at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station in Pune, Maharashtra. His interest is papaya farming .
Dr. Sunil Sharma says chilling injury, high soil moisture and prevalence of viral diseases are major roadblocks in a successful papaya cultivation. The best way to cultivate papaya successfully is to avoid these stresses. The easiest way of adding value to papaya fruits is select unblemished fruits and grade them by size/weight. Packing material should be able to protect fruits during transport and be appealing to the buyers. Fruits for local markets can be retained on plants for a longer time than the fruits meant for distant markets.