Promoting Cultivation of Cherimoya in Latin America

Abstract

"The cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) is one of the so-called 'lost crops of the Incas' that has come to us from the Andean heights. Also called chirimoya, chirimolla, or the custard apple in English it is well-known to indigenous populations in Latin America, familiar to only a limited group of consumers outside the region and largely ignored by mainstream agricultural science. In Latin America and particularly in Ecuador, the cherimoya has the potential to become a commercial subtropical crop for both resource-poor farmers and commercial farmers who serve international markets. The following discussion focuses on the challenges involved in developing the crop, particularly those related to infrastructure, institutional support and market factors."