Dragon Fruit Is Showing Up All Over. So Why Are Farmers Leaving the Business?

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Dragon fruit, the colorful cactus fruit also known as pitaya, has brought its subtle flavor far and wide this summer, from iced teas at Taco Bell to fruit drinks at Starbucks. So you’d think farmers would be having a banner year.

But in Florida, the business hasn’t been so rosy.

In early June, as the pink, spiky bulbs of fruit were ready to be picked off the cactus, farmers learned that they would get only pennies per pound for fruit that can sell for $7.99 a pound at the grocery store.

“Everybody expected to have a great year,” said Elide Santos, who owns Dragon Fruit Nature Farms, north of Homestead, with her uncle. “But nobody made money.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/23/dining/dragon-fruit-farmers.html