Štrigova hosts one of Europe's largest pawpaw plantations

In the municipality of Štrigova, located in the Međimurje region of Croatia, the Žižek family has established one of the largest plantations of Indian bananas, also known as pawpaw or asimina, in this part of Europe. The family chose this crop due to its ability to withstand low temperatures and resistance to diseases.

To manage the high cost of acquiring over 3,000 seedlings, the family opted to extract seeds from fruit sourced from Italy, germinating them manually to create rootstocks before grafting. While the trees are not yet at full production, the family currently sells fresh fruit. They plan to expand into the production of food and cosmetic products within the next one to two years, targeting markets such as craft breweries, jams, liqueurs, and aromatic wines.

Despite recent damage to the plantation caused by heavy hail in June, initial harvests have proven to be high quality and flavorful. In addition to the pawpaw, the plantation includes pistachio trees and feijoa bushes.