Levels of farmers' preferences of papaya trait/varieties/characteristics

Abstract

Increased awareness on the overall health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables significantly contributes to Indonesia's rising consumption. These plants are highly expended, and are particularly cultivated in tropical climate regions. Papaya is described as an important fruit, and is sufficiently nutritional, readily available anytime of the year, and also very affordable. In addition, the country enjoys a wider variety, including Merah Delima, although, lesser information is obtainable about farmers' preferences, in terms of varietal characteristics, compared to consumers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preferences for Merah Delima species and the resulting characteristics required to potentially match the farmers' demands, using 2019 survey data from East Java, Central Java, Riau, and West Sumatra provinces. Subsequently, 35 small scale papaya farmers were interviewed to obtain necessary information related to the performance and attributes of the selected variety. The results showed major preferences for samples with red meat coloration (87.10%), medium-size range between 0.7-1.5 kg (71.43%), sweet to very sweet taste (100%), and hard texture (74.19%), with an oval shape (75%). Varietal characteristics are believed to differ across cultivation zones, depending on the agro-ecosystems and farming processes. Furthermore, the earlier mentioned properties were generally suitable to the farmers' demands. These findings also serve as important guidance, in order to probe deeper into the development of varieties with relevant traits towards addressing farmers' specifications.