Sitafal Custard Apple Tribal Vidarbha Maharashtra

Sitafal (custard apple, Annona squamosa) grows abundantly in the tribal belts of Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, and Nandurbar in Maharashtra. Tribal communities collect wild sitafal from forest patches and cultivate improved varieties in kitchen gardens. The fruit is sold fresh in local markets or processed into pulp for ice cream, milkshakes, and flavoured products. Women's cooperatives in Gadchiroli collect and sell sitafal pulp and seeds (used in biopesticides) to processing units in Nagpur.