Annona Species Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

Chapter 12. Economic Information
A. C. de Q. Pinto, D. I. Kinpara, S. R. M. de Andrade
In agro-economic terms, annona species fall into two groups. In the first are
custard apple and wild soursop, as well as other species grown by subsistence
farmers under smallholder conditions on a casual basis. Establishment of
these small holdings is via cultivation of seedlings, even when in small
orchards, and attention to market demand is a minor concern as long as fruits
can be sold. In the second are cherimoya, soursop and sugar apple, which are
often grown on commercial farms, with better technology, numerous inputs,
such as irrigation and fertilization, have proper commercial organization and
processing infrastructure, and heed market signals constantly. In many
regions, however, the species of the second group, e.g., sugar apple and
soursop, are still cultivated in conditions reminiscent of the species in the
first group or may even have escaped from cultivation and are treated as an
extractivist product (as occurs with sugar apple in some parts of India). Two
factors will be important for expanding production in both groups: first, the
wider application of existing technologies; and second, intensifying
commercial production and practices, while heeding market signals.
It is very difficult to compile reliable statistical data on costs in the annona
production-to-consumption system, even for cherimoya, which is the most
important commercial annona fruit. Most of the scattered, available
information suggests that cherimoya, as well as soursop and sugar apple, are
highly remunerative crops for both small and medium scale farmers in many
countries, although the price of annona fruits received by growers has
decreased in the last ten years, reducing farm incomes. The annona fruit
market might be strengthened by adopting policies to provide adequate
institutional support, financial credit (especially lower interest rates), better
infra-structure (e.g., road and ports), research to breed new cultivars,
guarantee longer shelf life and develop processed products. Improved access
to market information may be just as important as other policies, so that
growers can enter their fruits into new and more demanding markets,
especially out of season, to obtain better prices.
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