Passion fruit farming in kenya and what you need to know. Status of passion fruit production in kenya oxfarm organic ltd. What temperature zone is good to grow passion fruit. Follow these steps to get high yields from passion fruits. There is high demand for the product both in the export and local market. Key regions for passion fruit production in burundi, kenya, and rwanda were selected for the study.
The story about graces success in passion fruit farming in kenya might have hit the headlines, but that was not the only story. Eating passion fruit could not be simpler, cut passion fruit in half with a sharp knife and scoop out the passion fruit juice, gelatinous fruit pulp and seeds into a bowl. May 15, 2014 normally purple passion does well in highland areas. Do you know that passion fruit is the third most popular fruit in kenya after mangoes and bananas respectively. Why spend money on a nursery plant if you dont need to. But many kenyan farmers are not earning as much as they could from the fruit a combination of poor planting and orchard management, and increasing plant disease and pests. In uganda, there are no large scale fruit growers at the moment and until recently. Due to investments by foreign entities, horticulture in kenya is expansive.
Its almost impossible to find a rural kenyan home without a banana tree in the farm. If i can grow something from the seed of store bought fruit, even better. Fortunately, a swiss firm which is leading developments in this field, is mounting a major research programme aimed at solving some of the technical problems related to the processing of passion fruit. Passion fruit farming in kenya popularity, is set to rise even more, due to changing consumer preferences as kenyans move from carbonated soft drinks to fresh juices. It is an interesting enterprise, because it exemplifies some problems which are apparent in fruitgrowing, especially in the tropics, including pest and disease control and commercial outlets. Status of passion fruit production in kenya oxfarm. Growing passion fruit step by step passion fruit is a perennial plant that allows farmers to enjoy yields for longer periods often exceeding three years depending on management.
Passionfruit growing is well suited to family operated farms. The passion fruit is a vigorous, climbing vine that clings by tendrils to almost any support. On a good month, grace would harvest over 480 kilograms of passion fruit, making ksh. It is a perennial crop which produces fruits within a year.
Land access in the development of horticultural crops in. Until recently, passion fruit farming was done by major companies in kenya. For the fresh market, the fruits are harvested when ripe just before shriveling. Pdf assessment of passion fruit orchard management and farmers. Our kenya passion fruits are sourced from smallholder farmers. When nathan kivuva quit maize farming a year ago to venture into passion fruit farming, little did he know he was opening a new chapter in his life. Passion fruit is a perennial vigorous vine, which grows to give oval or round shaped fruit.
The mature purple passion fruit tolerates light frosts and can be grown in the subtropics. Apr 01, 2016 passion fruit, a climbing vine, is a versatile crop whose demand is growing in both export and domestic markets. Passion fruits sell for ksh40100kg while grade 1 for export can go for around ksh70100kg. The ones that we buy today here in kenya are mostly imported from italy, india and china. Farmers in the region have predominantly planted maize as the main crop. Apart from the fact that passion fruits, just like any other fruit, has its good and bad seasons, but when properly. The procurement problems of the passion fruit industry of kenya. Yellow passion is best grown in lowland and coastal areas. Did you know that passion fruit is the third most popular fruit in kenya after mangoes and bananas respectively. We picked it because it is high value, can be produced on a small area and has a longer shelf. Pdf genotyping of kenyan passiflora edulis flavicarpa. Many passionfruit growers have other fruit crops or agricultural enterprises.
Banana farming in kenya in kenya, bananas are favorite fruits among many families. Sep 20, 2014 aloysius kibila of kabila passion fruit growing association says majority of the farmers in the area have resorted to growing the fruits because it is profitable. In india it is found to be growing wild in many parts of western ghat such as nilgiris, wynad, kodaikanal, shevroys, coorg and malabar as well as himachal pradesh and north eastern. Passion fruit farming is a highly lucrative enterprise in kenya with high and regular income. Once that is over, the maintenance job is easy like drinking water. At the moment, we are concentrating more on the purple passion fruit due to its potential for fresh market and juice extraction both in the local and export market. Commercial culture of purple passionfruit was begun in kenya in 1933 and. What you need to know passion fruit farming is still an unexplored kind of fruit farming. Passion fruit is one of kenyas top three export fruits.
It is widespread in all passion fruit growing areas and causes over 70% of total fruit loss in the country. Passion fruit is native to the tropical regions of southern brazil. The procurement problems of the passion fruit industry of kenya anna. The fruit is a vigorous, climbing vine that clings by tendrils to almost any support. Passion fruit plants that grow from seed take one to three weeks to germinate, while cuttings begin to grow as soon as they develop roots. Passion fruit farming is still an unexplored kind of fruit farming in uganda. The passion fruit is native to brazil and in india, it is grown in the parts of western ghats coorg, nilgiris, kodaikanal, malabar, wynad and shevroys. In kenya, passion fruits are grown in thika, nyamira, kisii, nyeri, kakamega, muranga, meru, among other regions. How to earn millions from 1 acre of passion fruit yes it. Purple passion fruits have deep purple skin colour at maturity. The creation of juice making companies in kenya is gradually opening up avenues for kenyan farmers to make money by producing raw materials for these industries. The crop is adaptable to a wide agroecological zone from low lands to the highlands. Passion fruit farming greenlife crop protection africa. Kyotera farmers resort to growing profitable passion fruits.
The purple type is a moderately strong growing vine, which does well in the subtropics, such as australia, brazil, new zealand, or in the highland tropics such as kenya and new guinea. Surveys were carried out in passion fruit growing regions of central, eastern, rift valley, western and nyanza provinces of kenya in 2008. Reducing dieback disease incidence of passion fruit in kenya. Ideally, it would be nice if you get them from the kenya agricultural research institute kari fields. Are you thinking of starting a profitable passion fruit farm in kenya. There are several passion fruit varieties for commercial purposes in the market. Marketing difficulty is due often to the small quantities involved, which make sales firms reluctant to handle the product not only. This is when he thought about growing passion fruit.
By 1958, 1,200 acres 486 ha were devoted to yellow passionfruit production and. According to softkenya, passion fruit is third most popular fruit in kenya after mangoes and bananas respectively, and this enterprise already boasts an area of. Passion fruit, passiflora edulis, a close relative to violets, is. Retaining the full flavour and preventing sedimentation are two of the most difficult problems. The demand for the fruit on both export and domestic market keeps on growing. Change in the pockets passion fruit in kenya episcopal. By sara delaney ive wondered before if passion fruit really deserved such an emotionfilled name, but after visiting farmers in nyanza, kenya, and seeing their passion for growing it, i will always believe it should be called passion fruit. The results indicate that the majority of the farmers 65% grow. Make money by growing passion fruit in kenya oxfarm.
A farmer in siaya county has broken the norm to start growing passion fruit. The az of growing passion fruits to harvest 15 tonnes. Growing sweet yellow passion plantvine is a good economic opportunity in kenya. Incidence, prevalence and severity of passion fruit fungal. Grafts are got by joining rootstock and scions of different passion varieties. The fruit is easy to grow as it gives back to the farmer in only 812 months. Selina wamucii exports both purple and yellow kenya passion fruits. Fruit farming is a great contributor of our economy, contributing to the food basket. A step by step guide to growing passion fruits for massive profit mr. The best way to get good results is by growing your purple passion fruit from grafted seedlings.
Mangoes grow wild by gift of nature and adapt to all ecological zones of uganda, dry or humid lowland, montane and lake shoreline. One carefully tended sweet yellow passion fruit vine will grow to a length of over 20 meters, after the first 45 months of transplanting. The major exceptions are south africa, kenya and new new zealand where production is dependent on lines of the purple passion fruit p. Passion fruit vines make good container specimens but require maintenance.
Well, that adage may not of true of caroline mwangi, an accountant who chose to venture into passion fruit farming out of curiosity. This fruit is a favorite in most kenyan homes, whether as part of the main meal, dessert. Fruits drop to the ground when fully mature and are collected every second day. Passion fruit has huge market potentials in the country and it is highly sought after in the international fruit market. Passionfruit growing involves intensive use of labour throughout the year. In the past few years farmers from rift valley have shifted to passion fruit cultivation without regret and we are seeing a lot of. The az of growing passion fruits to harvest 15 tonnes from every hectare. Nov 22, 2017 passion fruit is one of kenyas top three export fruits. The following are the major pests of passion fruits in.
Common passion fruit varieties in uganda the purple grandillais popular for its scent and is locally known as kasese, masaka and kenyan passion fruit variety. Passion fruit farming in kenya popularity, is set to rise even more, due to changing consumer preferences as kenyans move. Passion fruit farming makes millionaires in kenya agro. Passion fruit has huge market potentials in kenya and it is highly sought after in the international fruit market. It grows and produces well between altitudes of 1,900 to 2,000ft. The following roundup shows which 9 fruits to grow in kenya. Nov 22, 2010 kenya s rift valley region provides the bulk of the countrys food but in recent years many small scale farmers there are moving away from food crops to passion fruit farming which makes them more. India, too, has its place in passion fruit history. As with most other fruits, you can intercrop passion fruit with vegetables such as leeks, onions. Passion fruit vines propagated by either method take two to three years to reach maturity, flower and begin to bear fruit. The fruit farms in kenya are located on altitudes ranging from 1,200m 1,800m in the eastern part of the rift valley and 2,000m on the western part. You may not know it, but passion fruit is the number three on the list of most popular fruits in the country. The major exceptions are south africa, kenya and new new. Passion fruit is one of kenya s top three export fruits.
Yellow passion this passion fruit is grown for its aromatic but rather acidic pulp. Sweet yellow passion fruit farming makes millionaires in. Do you wish there was a way you could use your limited allotment to grow your own fresh fruits. A passion for farming thirtyfouryearold eunice jones and her husband started growing passion fruit in 2010, setting aside half an acre of their land to grow a new variety of the fruit. The creation of juice making companies in kenya is gradually opening up avenues for kenyan farmers to make money by. The most common of them are the purple and the yellow type. A brief account is given of a minor fruit growing industry in kenya. Kenya and south africa also have a decent production of passion fruit and its area under cultivation is growing rapidly. Kenya s most important pine and key ally in the climate. There are 2 types of commercially grown passion fruit in kenya. If you are looking to add a quick growing, tropical, fruit bearing vine to your landscape, try passion fruit vine. On the fruit, the spots are light brown, round and sunken.
Read the rest of this post and well share with you some of the things that you need to know about growing passion fruit, as well as its varieties, uses, and health benefits. The most important variety in kenya is the purple passion fruit passiflora edullis which is grafted on yellow passion passiflora flavicarpa. Thanks to snv netherlands development organization and partners, local farmers have teamed up to form an association where. Making more than kshs 600,000 from passion fruit farming. For some reason old seed takes a lot longer to germinate. The health benefits of these delightful fruits, almost outweighs the delicious taste of the pulp.
The plant can be a little finicky and needs room to spread out, but with enough attention and care. Mar 19, 2011 passion fruits is changing the lives of a small village in nandi kenya. He left teaching to grow passion fruits in luwero daily. How to earn massive income growing passion fruits hort zone. Mr clement odongo has seen his income triple compared to the time he used to plant maize. If you live in a warm climate and do not experience harsh winters, you can grow tropical passion fruit at home. You wont be worried about the market for your product. Zealand where production is dependent on lines of the purple passion fruit p. Pdf the passion fruit is a significant income earner for kenya, ranking third after avocado and mango in terms of foreign exchange earnings. To determine incidences, prevalence and severity of fungal diseases of passion fruit in major growing regions in kenya and identify fungi causing the diseases. Currently, however, large quantities of passion fruits are eaten fresh locally and also exported.
Passion fruit the third most wellliked fruit in kenya after bananas and mangoes and bananas respectively. At this stage, they are shriveled which is the best condition for manufacturing. This vine is native to tropical regions of southern brazil. Mud thatched houses can create the right climate for mushroom growing. Bomet farmer earns ksh30,000 weekly with passion fruit. In kenya, passion fruits are grown in thika, nyamira, kisii, nyeri. The passion fruit passiflora edulis, family passifloraceae, is a native of brazil. Apr 27, 2016 its one of the most common passion fruit grown by farmers in tanzania, the purple passion fruit is subtropical. Jj passion fruit juice exports by volume and value, kenya, 19711975 1. Read this to lean all passion fruit growing tips in kenya. While most of the fruit grown by kenyans is produced to feed people within its own country, foreign investments from public and private entities has fostered a growth in the horticulture business. Beans, beer, fruit juice, fruit, preserved vegetables, hydrogenated oils, and fat. Passion fruit farming has become popular in kenya, for example the north rift farmers are moving away from maize to passion which has better returns, cheaper to maintain and ready market going as far as uganda.
Kenya s most important pine and key ally in the climate change fight. Top four crops an aspiring farmer can bet on this year. The picture to the right demonstrates kenyas population density. Kenya is a large supplier of fresh purple passion fruits to the european market followed by brazil, colombia, zambia and zimbabwe of which the united kingdom is the largest importer.
Growing passion fruit in kenya africa the african gourmet. Below are few of the fruits that you can grow both for home consumption or for commercial purposes. The procurement problems of the passion fruit industry of. Passion fruit production profits per acre pangoni online. Make money by growing passion fruit in kenya oxfarm organic ltd. Highly resistant kawanda hybrid this is a cross between the local purple and the yellow passion fruits. It is an interesting enterprise, because it exemplifies some problems which are apparent in fruit growing, especially in the tropics, including pest and disease control and commercial outlets. The yellow passion, sweet passion, banana passion, and giant passion are also other varieties grown in kenya.
Passion fruit farming in kenya popularity, is set to rise even more. Grow passion fruit vine in locations that receive partial or filtered sun, in regions of the country that the weather is extremely hot. The fruit will be eaten fresh or consumed when extracting. From 2001 to 2005 export from kenya of passion fruit was around 1,000 tons per year. It is advisable to buy passion fruit seedlings from a recognized vendor in kenya. Passion fruit production and marketing farm africa. Passion fruit, which is a climbing vine, may be a versatile crop whose demand is growing in both domestic and export markets. They planned to sell their harvest at a market in mombasa. A great spot for a passionfruit vine is one thats out in the open, has full sun and no trees or competitive roots. Kenyas most important pine and key ally in the climate. Assessment of purple passion fruit orchard management and farmers technical efficiency in embu, meru and uasingishu counties, kenya charles gichimu karani a103215962010 a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master of science agribusiness management and trade, in the school of. A brief account is given of a minor fruitgrowing industry in kenya. Sweet yellow passion fruit farming makes millionaires in kenya. Mangoes are by far the most common fruit countrywide.
Labour is needed for disease and pest control, fertilising, harvesting and packing over a 10month period. Passion fruit requires warm weather to flower and fruit properly. Passion fruit farming guide beginners guide to grow. While kenya has an ideal tropical climate for kiwi fruit farming, many people do not have the information necessary for the successful growing of this fruit. Growing passion fruit vine will probably be easier than the gardener imagined. Passiflora edulis forma edulis refer to the purple passion fruit, and passiflora edulis forma flavicarpa, refers to the yellow passion fruit. He says they have registered over 0 farmers in kabila sub county alone who are involved in passion fruit production. The passion fruit has an eclectic mix of uses, mostly savory, not limited to fresh juice, cocktails, and dessert topping. Yellow passion fruit is widely grown in tropical and semitropical regions of africa, especially in kenya. Yellow passion fruit, management constraints, agronomic practices, production. Growing passionfruit fact sheets gardening australia.
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