New Delhi, 50% of custard apple crop has been damaged by the erratic rain in Maharashtra. The plant growers of Pune district are most affected as they have planted custard apple on acres of land and made major investment as the crop has fetched good returns in last few years.
The unsettled rain has affected 5000 hectare of planted custard apple at Purandar Tehsil in Pune. At the beginning of the monsoon season when the plants needed water the most, the rain was poor. The increased rain at the end of the season and the heavy rain also affected the plants when they were flowering. This means the crop has been hit twice by the erratic rain and the production will not be more than 50%. Tehsils in Pune, Ahmednagar, Solapur and Latur districts also grow custard apple plants.
In the last few years, the demand for custard apple has increased as some dishes like sitaphal rabdi and sitaphal ice-cream have gained marvelous popularity. The demand for the fruit shot up and many farmers decided to cultivate the fruit trees. Some factories were set up near Pune city in the last three years to separate the seed from the fruit and process the pulp.
