Narmadapuram Guava

Often referred to as the ‘poor man’s apple’, the humble guava (Psidium guajava) is one of the five divine fruits mentioned as Deva phala in the Hindu scriptures. This hardy fruit is available throughout the year and is hugely popular in the monsoon and winter seasons across the country.

The guava fruit, seeds and leaves are revered for its immense healing, medicinal and nutritional properties. It is used to treat high fever, cough, cold, skin ailments, diarrhoea, constipation, dysentery, high blood pressure, piles and others.

It is highly recommended as a super fruit to improve the immune system, lose weight, purify the blood and prevent cancer and heart diseases. It is rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium and Vitamin C. The seeds and leaves of the guava are used to treat fatigue and insomnia respectively.

India is the world’s largest producer of guava with the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar having the highest area under cultivation and average annual production. Madhya Pradesh in particular has in recent years become the number one destination for agricultural produce and food processing.

Besides Bhopal, Narmadapuram located on the south bank of the sacred Narmada River is famous for its excellent guava that is largely due to the good soil condition and conducive climatic factors.

Small and marginal farmers in this district cultivate both the indigenous as well as the high – yielding varieties like Sardar L – 49, Allahabad Safeda, Gwalior – 27, Lalit, Shweta and others. Guava is generally grown throughout the year though the best quality is available in August.

As guava is the 4th most important fruit crop in Madhya Pradesh after mango, banana and orange, the state and central government have taken the initiative to set up several fruit processing plants in and around Narmadapuram to cater to the needs of the farmers.

These facilities will prepare many value – added products like guava squash, guava concentrate, guava kulfi, guava pickle, guava chutney, guava ice cream, guava jelly, guava jam, guava wine, dried guava, guava candy, guava nectar, guava puree, guava powder, canned guava, guava juice and guava pulp.

Guava seeds are used in salad dressing. The leaves of guava are used in the dyeing and tanning industries.

Narmadapuram guavas are in great demand in the nearby markets of Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat and exported to USA, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Guava jams and guava jellies are exported to several Asian countries.

Written by Lakshmi Subramanian