Brighter future for Nicaraguan growers of red dragon fruit

Thanks to its bright color, fresh taste and high nutritional value, dragon fruit is popular as an ingredient in fruit drinks, smoothies and desserts. Although the fruit is usually associated with Asian cuisine, it originated in Central America. Nicaragua-based agricultural development agency Burke Agro hopes to re-introduce organically certified Nicaraguan red dragon fruit to European consumers. This strain is more highly pigmented than other strains and has many healthy properties. Nicaragua is currently one of the largest growers of organic dragon fruit in the world. To help local growers access new markets, Burke Agro, which is part of Sol Oragnica, recently decided to start exporting three varieties to Europe: Lisa, Rosa and Orejona. As this plan had to be postponed due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, Burke Agro will start exporting the organically certified and GMO-free red dragon fruit to Europe in June 2021. "The European market is an exciting new challenge for us," says ...