Red Thai guava via Bengaluru floods Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The “Thai” variety of guava being sold in the city has found many takers because of its juicy, red pulp. However, despite what its name suggests, the variety is grown within the country itself. Vendors say that they purchase the fruit from the wholesale market of Gaddiannaram in LB Nagar and from Mozamjahi market. Each fruit weighs around 300 to 500 grams, and is sold for between Rs 100 and Rs 150 per kg.

“Customers are buying it because of its unique appearance and red pulp. The fruit arrives from Bengaluru every morning and we buy it from wholesalers,” says Abdul Khadeer, a fruit vendor at Charminar. According to Mr Tajuddin, a wholesaler at the Gaddianaram fruit market, the Thai guava is grown by several farmers in Bengaluru and Mysore. “The plants were grafted, by horticulturists, from the original Thai guava species, hence the name,” he says. The Thai guava is sold by wholesalers for Rs 30 to Rs 40 per kg, and retailers mark up the price by over Rs 100 per kg. “It has a shelf life of up to a week,” says a wholesaler.

Researchers have named the variety VNR-Bihi. It produces much larger fruits than regular guava plants. “Farmers in Bengaluru and other places are opting to grow it because of the premium price that it fetches,” says a researcher. Guavas that are actually imported from Thailand are only available at select retail outlets, and that too at a much higher price of '300 per kg. M.A. Khadeer of  Golden Fruit Palace in Moazamjahi Market says that about 200 kg of the fruit arrives in the city from New Delhi. “A few big firms import the fruit and supply it within the city. Retail vendors buy only two to three kg at a time, depending on the local demand. A few families buy it for their own consumption; it is mostly bought to be presented as a gift during marriage ceremonies or for iftar parties during Ramzan,” he says.

He adds that the pulp of the fruit actually imported from Thailand is pink, not red. Dr M. Vijaya, the dean of research at the Sri Konda Laxman State Horticulture University, says that a local variety of guava from Kohir in Sangareddy is also famous for its red pulp. Habeeb Mohammed Baghdadi, a fruit vendor from Barkas, says that the area was once renowned for its red pulp guavas. “There was a huge demand for it because it was believed that red guavas had medicinal properties. But the trees were chopped ten years ago, after a pest attack. Eventually, that variety became extinct,” he says.