Dragon-Fruit

Dragon Fruit, a herbaceous perennial climbing cactus widely known as Pitaya, has its origin in Southern Mexico, Central America and South America. It is widely cultivated in South-East Asia, India, USA, The Caribbean Islands, Australia throughout the tropical and sub-tropical world. It is also known as “Wondrous Fruit of the 21st century”. The Kamalam (Dragon fruit) has recently drawn much attention of the growers worldwide, not only because of their red purple colour and economic value as food products but also for their enormous health benefits. The skin of the fruit is covered with bracts or scales which may have attributed the fruits resembling the mythical creature "dragon', hence the name dragon fruit. Due to its health benefits and increasing demands, Govt. of India also working on production under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a roadmap is being prepared for cultivation of this crop in the identified potential area.