How to grow PAPAYA in Uganda

Papaya/Pawpaw is a fast growing tree like herb that belongs to the cactus group of plants.

The fruit is usually referred to as the pawpaw and “Epapali” in luganda.

The fruit is one other fruit enjoyed by a number of consumers today, and the rising healthy life style by people today has made it a very tradable fruit for farmers.

Common Papaya/Pawpaw varieties grown in Uganda

There are currently 4 papaya varieties grown today, and each carries unique characteristics i.e;

• The solo variety - this constitutes mainly of the local type, they produce small round sweet fruits with uniform size and shape.


• The mountain variety- this grows at a high altitude with small fruits only suitable for jam and preserves.


• The sunrise variety- this produces smooth pear shaped fruit of high quality.


• The red royale- this is an improved high breed and also gives sweet quality fruits at a high yield.

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Soil requirements for Papaya/Pawpaw to grow in Africa

Papaya grows and produces well on a wide variety of soil types.

However it gives best results when grown on light well drained soils rich in organic matter.

The plant tolerates a pH range from 6.0 to 6.5.

How to Propagate Papaya in your garden

Start your papaya tree using seeds.

You can sow the seeds directly but normally it’s best to raise them in the bed and then transplant.

The seeds will take 1-4 weeks from sowing to emerge given appropriate growing conditions.

How to plant Papaya in Uganda

Use black soft plastic polybag to raise seedlings.

Fill the bags with a mixture of sandy loam manured soil.

Sow 1 or 2 seeds in each bag and cover with soil.

Then water the beds to provide moisture needed for germination.

Cover the bags with plastic fill or thatch grass to keep them warm and moist still they emerge.

When the seedlings are about 10-15 cm tall, transplant them to a well prepared field. Maintain a spacing of 2_2.5 m between rows and 2m between plants.

Retain 1 hermaphrodite pollinator plant per 4ft of the field. Irrigate the plants to minimize flower drop or fruit drop.

Weekly watering is advisable during dry months.

Prope the tree as this is necessary to support the growing plants especially during the fruiting stage.

Weed at the young stage frequently and lightly, but never do deep tillage to the soil since the plant has shallow roots.

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How to Harvest Papaya in Africa

Generally papaya takes 6 months to flower and other 5 months for harvesting; however this may vary according to the climate conditions and management.

The appearance of yellow color traces on the green fruit is an indicator of maturity and readiness for harvest.

Hold on the fruit, twist until it snaps or cut the peduncle with a shape knife.

Handle the fruit carefully to avoid bruising and unnecessary cuts.

Never drop the fruits to the ground. On tall trees, use a ladder to reach and pick the fruits by hand.

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About the Papaya Market in Uganda

Grow what you can sell and selling the fruit profitably needs special consideration.

The possible markets for papaya fruit are the national markets like the Nakasero, the fruit carts, road side stall, and supermarket grocers.

Quick Tips for growing Papaya in Uganda

• Clear up land meant for planting to create space.


• Open up a hole 4cm deep and broadcast in manure.


• Make a slit in the plastic bag down one side to remove the bag and place the plant in the hole.


• Maintain a spacing of 2_2.5 between the rows and 2m between plants.


• Rake in the soil from around the hole to cover the roots.


• Water the seedling to provide it with the moisture needed for proper rooting and growth.


• In about a year you should be able to harvest the papaya fruits.

Contact us here to buy fresh Papaya and Papaya seeds in Uganda

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