Antony Mugambi attends to a dragon fruit plant on his farm in Kathura village, Central Imenti constituency in Meru County. According to him, the dragon fruit plant, also known climbing cactus, requires little water and well-manured soils. PHOTO | CHARLES WANYORO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Antony Mugambi, an ICT engineer, has clinched the formula for harvesting wealth from the super fruit that he grows on five of his 40 acres in Central Imenti, a semi-arid region in Meru County. A kilo of the produce, comprising only three fruits, goes for a cool Sh1,000
He started the project with the seeds he extracted from the fruits a friend offered him.
According to him, the dragon fruit plant, also known climbing cactus, requires little water and well-manured soils.
Dr Gladys Mugambi, a nutritionist and the Head of Division of Health Promotion at the Ministry of Health, says from available literature, the fruit has many benefits but we they have not done an analysis of them in Kenya.
From afar, the hundreds of plants on Antony Mugambi’s farm in Kathura village, Central Imenti constituency in Meru County, look like cacti or aloe vera, only that they are much taller.
And like roses, they produce beautiful pink flowers, which later turn into a fruit surrounded by green spikes.
