Mahakalapara: A man has created a niche for himself by successfully growing foreign-origin passion fruit on his farmland in the tropical climate of Kharinasi village under this block in Kendrapara district. The farmer, Kalyan Ray of Kharinasi area, brought the saplings from a friend in Kolkata and has successfully grown the fruits in his backyard. The feat of successfully raising the fruits has made him a role model and an example for others to emulate. People and traders are rushing to him to buy the fruits cultivated in his backyard.
Reports said passion fruit is known as ‘Krishna Phal’ in India and it is native to South Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina in South America. It grows in cold climate and is cultivated in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kashmir, and Kerala. However, the successful cultivation of the fruit in Odisha, where the climate is warm, has surprised many. The fruit is consumed mostly for its nutritional value and it helps in curing skin disease, hair fall, and diabetes apart from reducing fat. Its juice, rich in vitamins, can be used as a drink by adding some salt and sugar. The fruit has a very good aroma and is delicious in taste grows mostly from winter till summer season.
In Odisha, passion fruit is grown in the western parts and is available for sale in all the small and big malls as well as the supermarkets in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and other cities. The fruit is also available on online shopping platforms. When contacted, Ray said he has grown the fruit with organic manure only instead of applying any chemical fertilizer. It is available in two colour variants of orange and green, he added.
