Papaya tree in Arunachal Pradesh, India

From the archive record

Papaya is native to the tropical regions of the Americas, most likely Mexico and parts of Central America. According to the book, “Tropical Fruits,” papaya hasn’t been found growing wild in nature but the greatest diversity appears between the Yucatan-San Ignacio-Peter-Rio Montagua parts of Central America. Papayas came to India by way of the Caribbean and then Malaysia around 1550. A century later, explorers from Italy and China brought papaya from India’s soils back to their respective countries. India is the world’s largest producer of papaya; unsurprisingly, then, it’s also one of the easiest fruits to find. 2011 figures from the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization cites that the country produces a staggering 4.2 million metric tons, accounting for 35 percent of the world’s product