It is popular globally, especially in Peru, Colombia, New Zealand, Ecuador, Nepal, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, and Bhutan.

Today it is still cultivated in gardens and small orchards for local production,[4] and it is one of the most popular fruits in these regions.

[5] Other regions of cultivation are the subtropical areas throughout the world, such as Ethiopia, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Nepal, Hong Kong, China, the United States, Australia, Bhutan, New Zealand and Nagaland, Manipur, Darjeeling and Sikkim in India.

[citation needed] The tamarillo is a fruit harvested permanently in Colombia, the average annual production exceeds 150,000 tons.

[citation needed] In 1993, in New Zealand, about 2,000 tons were produced on 200 hectares of land and exported to the United States.

The tamarillo is also successfully grown at higher elevations of Malaysia and the Philippines, Ethiopia and in Puerto Rico.

[6] The roots are shallow and not very pronounced, therefore the plant is not tolerant of drought stress and can be damaged by strong winds.

A single tree can produce more than 20 kg of fruit per year; an orchard yields in 15 to 17 tons per hectare.

[6] One single mature tree in good soil will bear more fruit than a typical family can eat in about 3 months.

Tamarillos are suitable for growing as indoor container plants, though their swift growth, their light, water and humidity requirements and their large leaves can pose a challenge to those with limited space.

This allows fruiting branches to grow all along the trunk rather than just at the top.Since the plants are sensitive to drought stress, mulching can help to preserve moisture in the soil.

[6] It can also be a strategy to suppress weeds, as other soil management techniques, such as plowing, are not possible due to the shallow and sensitive root system.

Their shallow root system does not provide enough stability, and the lateral branches are fragile and break easily when carrying fruits.

The plants need continuous supply of water due to their shallow root system.

Still, to reduce risk in intensive production systems, some pests have to be controlled to avoid major crop damage.

Premature harvest and ethylene induced ripening in controlled-atmosphere chambers is possible with minimal loss of fruit quality.

A cold-water dipping process, developed by the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research also allows further storage of 6–10 weeks.

Some people in New Zealand cut the fruit in half, scoop out the pulpy flesh and spread it on toast.

In the Northern Hemisphere, tamarillos are most frequently available from July until November, and fruits early in the season tend to be sweeter and less astringent.

In Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, and parts of Indonesia (including Sumatra and Sulawesi), fresh tamarillos are frequently blended together with water and sugar to make a juice.

The fruit is boiled or roasted in open fire till the skin breaks and then mashed with chillies, timur, garlic and other spices of choice.

In Ecuador, the tamarillo, known as tomate de árbol, is blended with chili peppers to make a hot sauce commonly consumed with local dishes of the Andean region.

The flesh of the tamarillo is tangy and variably sweet, with a bold and complex flavor, and may be compared to kiwifruit, tomato, guava, or passion fruit.

[citation needed] The red and purple types of fruits are preferred in import countries of Europe: Even though they taste more acidic, their color is favoured by consumers.

Breeding goals are to break seed dormancy, to improve sweetness of fruits and to increase yield.