The fruits should be left on tree until they fully mature. Usually fruits are harvested when they are of full size, light green with tinge of yellow at epical end. On ripening, fruits of certain varieties turn yellow while some of them remain green. When the latex ceases to be milky and become watery, the fruits are suitable for harvesting.

While picking fruits from the tree, care must be taken that they are not scratched, and are free from any blemishes, otherwise these are attacked by fungus and start decaying during marketing. The fruit yield of papaya varies widely according to variety, soil, climate and management of the orchard. On an average each plant of improved varieties bears 30–45 fruits, weighing 40–75kg in one fruiting season. On an average, yield of 60–75 tonnes/ha may be expected in a season from an orchard of papaya.