Two foreign investors plan to introduce an exotic fruit native to Australia in Nicaragua, with the goal of converting it into a new export item that generates income for producers and new employment opportunities.
The exotic fruit, a curious citric called Finger Lime that is also known as Lime Caviar, has a growing demand in the world market, which is why the investors intend to promote the planting of this tree between the municipalities of Santa Teresa, Carazo, and Tola in Rivas.
One of the investors is Rowland Jackson, an Australian who said that this tree grows in the subtropical regions of Australia, such as Queensland and New South Wales, "where it is grown for export mainly to Japan, Europe, and the United States. There, it is used as seasoning or for preparing jams, pickles and sushi," he said.
According to him, in Australia producers sell a kilo of this fruit for more than US $50 and he believes the cultivation of this citrus in Nicaragua is feasible because of the good prices and the growing demand for this product.
"In my country, I worked on cultivating this fruit for 15 years in Queensland and the climatic conditions are very similar to those in the area where we want to establish plantations. Besides, this tree is very resistant to drought and I would like to apply here, the knowledge I learned in Australia about this culture, to do my bit for Nicaragua," he said.
La Chota Farm
Jackson and his American partner, Franco Galluzzo, intend to grow this cylindrical shaped fruit in 40 blocks located in La Chota farm, located 5 kilometers north of the community of El Astillero.
According to both investors, they had the idea of bringing and cultivating this exotic species six months ago, "and since then we have been doing paperwork to make the planting project a reality. Our goal is to sow the first plants in December," said Jackson Galluzzo. He said they were aiming to cultivate organic finger limes using drip irrigation and that they projected to start producing quality fruits five years after planting the trees.
"The crop will consist of five plots of eight blocks each because we have five varieties that have to be separated and which are distinguished by their colors, that can range from yellow, red, pink and green, and their cultivation and use is gaining popularity everywhere," he said.
