BABACO, A PROMISING CROP IN NZ
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carica pentagona
FAMILY: Caricaceae
Regarded as one of the most promising of the horticultural crops currently grown in New Zealand, babaco, a member of the papaya family, could, it is felt, enjoy the same success as kiwifruits on foreign markets in the years to come.
New Zealand has a history of developing new fruit crops but although many have shown promise in the initial stages, after careful evaluation they have been rejected as unsuitable. Not so the babaco plant.
Introduced from Ecuador in the early seventies, it has proved flexible and ideally suited to conditions in New Zealand. It can grow from a small cutting into a fruiting tree within a year and its relative freedom from disease and pests makes it an easy crop to manage.
High yields together with no loss make this fruit highly suitable for orchard production, while harvesting (November to December) coincides with a period when few fresh fruits are available on the market. It is also ideal for export, its good keeping qualities allowing it to make full use of cheaper seafreight rates to distant markets. But should the need for airfreight arise, cargo space is freely available at that time of year.
It has, however, not all been plain sailing for the babaco. In fact, it is probably the most expensive plant introduction in New Zealand's history. Frustrations in obtaining the initial plant material necessitated several expeditions to South America.
And the problems did not end there. There were more losses when virus diseases struck 20 per cent of the remaining plants. Furthermore, the slowness of propagation and the total lack of technical information meant that a completely new concept of culture had to be devised. Nursery facilities were built solely for the production of plants to furnish the needs of the future. But now that these problems have been largely overcome, the babaco seems to have a good future.
So much for its potential - what does it actually look like? The babaco is a slender single-stemmed perennial herbaceous shrub or tree reaching a height of some two metres. Fruits are large (30 centimetres in length, 10 centimetres across and weighing up to one kilo) and have a distinctive five-angled shape.
Each tree bears 25 to 35 fruits a year and has an economic life of about eight years. Projected tonnage is from 40 to 50 tonnes per hectare at a spacing density of 3000 trees.
The fruit reaches full size about two months before maturity. The onset of maturity is further recognised by the yellowing of the fruit, first in patches then gradually extending over the whole surface during the following two weeks. They ripen in progression from the lower fruits, which are usually the heaviest, to those higher up the trunk.
The babaco thrives in a cool sub-tropical climate, free of frosts. In New Zealand it is felt the fruit growing areas of Northland, Auckland and the Bay of Plenty will prove particularly suitable for commercial production.
Good fertile soil and perfect wind protection are required for maximum yields, so too is adequate rainfall or irrigation. On exposed sites intercropping may be carried out using, for example, corn or herb-like plants which persist during the winter months.
The fruit is picked when the first signs of yellow coloration occur. The stalk can be snipped off, using citrus clippers or simply pulled off by lifting the fruit to a horizontal position and then pulling it away from the stalk. There is, however, a danger in the latter method in that injury may occur to the abscission surface, causing rots later in storage.
When the fruit is picked off the tree, sap or latex will exude from the severed cut and, when the fruit is placed on top of other fruit in a picking container, latex is spilt on the other fruit and messes it up. As a result, although the best type of picking container has still to be decided on, there is a general consensus in favor of trays holding a single layer of fruit. The heavy weight of each fruit means in any case that no more than 10 to 15 fruits can be handled at one time by a picker.
The fruits, although firm, should be handled as little as possible. As far as packing for export is concerned, tray-like containers holding eight fruits would seem to be the ideal. Standard metric sizes to conform with containerisation will also be essential. Furthermore, to avoid bruising, each individual fruit will need to have a protective wrapping and obviously information and recipe leaflets will have to be enclosed in each carton.
One of the features of babaco which makes it particularly attractive for overseas markets is its excellent keeping quality. Even without cold storage the fruit has a shelf life of four weeks. Furthermore, fruit that has been damaged will keep for a long time, since the damaged part will not spread to healthy tissue. The breakdown area can simply be cut off and the remainder eaten. Cold storage will obviously extend the life of the fruit, the optimum temperature being six degrees celsius.
The fruit is best eaten when fully ripe. The flesh is reported to be very juicy and slightly acidic, sugar content is low. The flavor is unique, although it may be described as a cross between strawberry, pineapple and pawpaw. Being seedless, the whole fruit can be eaten including the skin and it can simply be served on its own or as a tasty ingredient of a fruit salad. Babaco juice is a popular drink in Ecuador where it is served in the top hotels.
At this early stage in its development, the number of babaco plants available is obviously limited and the high cost of development and the low availability factor will further restrict orchard plantings. However, now that commercial sales have taken place - the first of these was on the Auckland City Market in November 1980 - the fruit is no longer simply a tantalising proposition, it is now a very real possibility.
Initial response from the public has been very encouraging with babacos fetching up to $4 each. It is, however, thought that a more realistic price level would be around the $1 to $2 mark. It will, of course, be some time before commercial shipments to Europe take place but when they do, New Zealand will have a definite advantage in that there is little danger of foreign competition.
The only other area where babaco is grown commercially is Ecuador whose trading links with Europe are limited to say the least. Certainly the babaco holds great potential for the future. It is now a matter for the pioneers of this new industry to translate that potential into yet another New Zealand success story.
DATE: September 1983
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
