The Custard Apple’s Quiet Rise From Drought Crop to Export Commodity
BBC Business reported Wednesday that custard apple exports are emerging from decades of quiet agricultural innovation in India, turning a drought-hardy backyard fruit into a commercially viable global commodity.
The custard apple is a knobbled, avocado-sized fruit. Its creamy interior carries a flavour reminiscent of vanilla custard. Until recently, it remained largely a local delicacy.
A Crop Built for Difficult Land
The fruit’s resilience in dry conditions makes it attractive to farmers in water-scarce regions. Ashoka Shivareddy, a software engineer turned farmer in Karnataka’s drought-prone Kolar district, returned to his family’s land in 2018. He was searching for a crop requiring minimal irrigation and few pesticides. Custard apple trees, which already grew wild nearby, fit the criteria. By planting trees at higher densities and selecting complementary varieties, Shivareddy grew roughly 25 tonnes last season, up from 20 the year prior.
The Science Behind a Longer Shelf Life
The fruit’s biggest commercial obstacle has long been its fragility. Traditional varieties spoil within three to four days, making distant markets almost unreachable. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Horticulture Research in Bangalore spent years developing a hybrid variety called Arka Sahan. It survives a full week at room temperature and delivers significantly more edible pulp per fruit. Dr. Sakthivel T, principal scientist at the institute, noted that pulp recovery rates climbed from roughly 30% in wild varieties to around 70% in the hybrid, effectively doubling usable yield without requiring additional farmland.
Decades of Farmer-Led Breeding
Parallel innovation happened outside the laboratory. Maharashtra farmer Navnath Malhari Kaspate spent more than a decade cross-pollinating seeds gathered from across India. His resulting NMK-01 variety, released commercially in 2014, offers higher yields and a tougher skin suited to long-distance transport. Kaspate’s farm now covers around 50 acres, and his variety has reached buyers in Gulf states and Europe.
The Logistics Challenge Remains Steep
Despite better varieties, getting custard apples to international markets demands precise coordination. Exporter Manoj Kumar Barai, who ships NMK-01 to the United States, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Europe, told the BBC that every step from harvest to customs clearance must be timed carefully. Heat exposure at any point in the chain can degrade the fruit rapidly. Researchers at IIHR are separately working to prevent the extracted pulp from browning, a hurdle blocking wider use in processed foods like ice cream and beverages.
The combination of climate-adapted growing, hybrid science, and improving export logistics is quietly repositioning custard apple as one of India’s more promising horticultural exports, even if mainstream recognition remains some years away.
Read Next: India’s Agricultural Technology Push Meets Climate Pressure
