An un-branched tree, papaya grows through out the year. Months following with warm temperature or moisture causes low production.Papaya is cultivated in Sri Lanka as a home garden crop & an export item. But according to surveys there has not been an significant increase in production due to a virus infection in some parts of the country in the wet zones. Kurunagela district is known as the highest producer for papaya.
Papaya can be varied as Red papaya, Yellow & green papaya…this fruit is rich in source of nutritiousness. the ripe fruit is consumed raw, without skin and seeds.The unripe fruit can be cooked in curries, salads and stews. Green papaya is commonly used in southeast Asian cooking. In some parts of asia, the young papaya leaves are steamed and eaten as spinach. in some parts of the world papaya leaves are made into tea as a treatment for malaria. But the treatment method based on the results has never been scientifically proven.
