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Passion fruit farming set for better times ahead
A farmer in Bomet picks passion fruits in his farm. Plans to upgrade the fruit into a major cash crop could see its prospects go up. FILE PHOTO | NMG
What you need to know:
- Details emerged that the country’s production of the crop has been on the decline for the past decade in which no passion fruit exports went to Europe.
- Agriculture Food Authority Horticulture Crops Directorate head Zakayo Magara acknowledged that because passion fruit is listed alongside 100 other minor crops and little has been done in advancing a policy to promote and boost its cultivation.
- Research has shown that passion fruit can grow anywhere in Kenya due to availability of varieties for both warmer and colder climates – yellow passion for lower, warmer regions and the more common purple variety for the higher cooler regions.
The prospects of passion fruit farming in Kenya could change for the better if plans to upgrade the fruit into a major horticultural crop are adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture.
This is after details emerged that the country’s production of the crop has been on the decline for the past decade in which no passion fruit exports went to Europe.
