Guava, wax apple, sugar apple and pineapple productions in Thailand

Thailand has many tropical fruit planting areas, most of which are in the central part of the country. Guavas and wax apples are primarily cultivated in the provinces of Nakhonpatom and Ratchaburi, whereas sugar apple and pineapple planting areas are predominantly in northeastern (Nakhonrachasima) and southern (Phetchaburi) Thailand, respectively. The cultivation and irrigation system of guavas and wax apples involve using a ridge system in clay soil and low-lying or flooding land by digging a watercourse to keep water and to use for chemical and fertilization application and transporting produce by small boat. This system is used for 80% of the total fruit production in Thailand. Most guava cultivars in Thailand are edible, such as 'Pan See Thong', 'Klom Sa Lee', 'Sum See Krob'. Seedless cultivars are 'Phet Puthon' and 'Den Khun Wang'. In 2014, the total planting area in Thailand was 11,360 ha, producing approximately 191,984 t. It is about 2% of total fruits planted area. The guava fruiting season is year-round, and involves grading, wrapping and packaging after harvest. 29% of the guava production is for the domestic market, whereas 46 and 25% of the guavas grown in Thailand are exported to Singapore and Hong Kong, respectively. The wax apple planting area is 82,00 ha in total (13% of the tropical fruit area in Thailand). Most commercial cultivars of wax apples, such as 'Phet Ban Plew', 'Phet Sai Rung', 'Thun Klao', 'Phet Jin Da' and 'Number One', and rind pink to red are 'Phet Sam Phran', 'Dang Indo', 'Phet Nam Pueng' and 'Thub Thim Chan'. Wax apple production in Thailand was approximately 70,310 t in 2015. The fruit harvest seasons are January-March and July-September; off-seasons are April-June and August-November. Most of the market is domestic (90%), with a low volume of export to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.