Most motorists passing by the Deputy Commissioner’s office and Crawford Hall in the city could not miss the sight of the giant guavas being sold by the roadside vendors there.
Each guava weighed between 600 g to 1 kg. Several passers-by approached the vendors to buy the fruit but were dismayed to learn that it was priced at a staggering ₹200 per kg. Some managed to bargain and bring the price down to ₹180 per kg and made a purchase.
Dinesh Kumar, Senior Assistant Director of Horticulture, Mysuru, said the fruit originated from Thailand and hence was also called ‘Thai Guavas’. The hybrid variety is grown in different parts of India, particularly in Chattisgarh and Maharashtra. The giant guavas have more pulp and less seed, he said. The fruit was available in a few supermarkets in the city, he added.
Mr. Chikkamadaiah, one of the fruit vendors outside Crawford Hall, said they had received the fruit from an agent in Mysuru, who procured them from Bengaluru. “The guavas arrive via flight to Bengaluru,” he said, claiming that it was the first time such giant-sized guavas were available in Mysuru.
Mr. Kumar said there were plans to grow such hybrid varieties through high-density farming in parts of Mysuru district shortly.The hybrid variety will be more than double the size of the local varieties of guavas, which are around 180 to 250 g. “It is rare to find a local variety that is even 400 g. However, these giant varieties sometimes weigh more than a kg,” he added.
