Tamarind monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future
Tamarind monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future
Tamarind monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future
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statistics are unavailable <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong>se countries but <strong>the</strong>ir production is not<br />
thought to match that of India and Thailand.<br />
National production in Australia is less than 6 tonnes, which reflects <strong>the</strong><br />
cultural mix of people residing in <strong>the</strong> country as tamarind is primarily<br />
consumed by people of Asian origin. Most of <strong>the</strong> production is from<br />
Queensland and available from May-September.<br />
Costa Rica is a relatively small scale producer. It exports small quantities of<br />
tamarind to North America, though production is increasing (Figure10.2).<br />
<strong>Tamarind</strong> Production - COSTA RICA<br />
Kilos<br />
250000<br />
200000<br />
150000<br />
100000<br />
50000<br />
0<br />
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997<br />
Figure 10.2. <strong>Tamarind</strong> production in Costa Rica<br />
119<br />
Total Production<br />
In Puerto Rico, <strong>the</strong>re is no commercial production of tamarind, but <strong>the</strong> fruits<br />
grow wild throughout <strong>the</strong> island and in home gardens. The estimated<br />
production of tamarind in Puerto Rico in 1977 was 23 tonnes (Salkukhe and<br />
Desai, 1984). Like Puerto Rico, most o<strong>the</strong>r tamarind growing countries have<br />
no commercial production, and fruits are collected from trees that grow in<br />
<strong>the</strong> wild or in home gardens <strong>for</strong> household level processing and<br />
consumption, with any excess being marketed.<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r than local collection and sale of tamarind in Africa, in general <strong>the</strong>re is<br />
no commercial production. <strong>Tamarind</strong> has not gained <strong>the</strong> same importance in<br />
Africa as it has in Asia. Introduced Indian and American cultivars are<br />
currently more productive than African ones.<br />
10.4 Employment<br />
The production, processing, sale and use of tamarind products create<br />
employment opportunities <strong>for</strong> people in producing countries. At present<br />
tamarind is considered to be a Minor Forest Product (MFP) classified in<br />
India by <strong>the</strong> National Commission on Agriculture (quoted in Sekar et al.,<br />
1996) toge<strong>the</strong>r with fibres and flosses; grasses and bamboo canes; essential