Discouraged by the high costs of maize production due to the rise in prices of farm inputs and fuel, Amos Kemboi had to think of an alternative source of income that would earn him a decent living.
The Uasin Gishu farmer did a lot of soul-searching and finally came up with something lucrative — passion-fruit farming.
The 38-year-old father of three reached this conclusion after numerous agricultural tours he made outside the district, which brought him to the realisation that most upcoming farmers were diversifying into horticultural production, a sector that has proved profitable.
“It was while traversing various parts of Central Province and Keiyo District that I realised most farmers were venturing into horticultural production, and in particular, passion fruits,” says the farmer at his Kutsi farm, some 16 kilometres from Eldoret town.
Back home he embarked on plans to join the sector, but for a farmer who had no knowledge or experience on horticultural production, he had to seek advice from relevant authorities to avoid making mistakes that would result in losses.
“I had to save funds for the project and establish contacts with farmers already in the business,” he says.
To begin, he pumped in Sh80,000 to purchase inputs including seedlings worth Sh20,000, which he planted on a one-acre plot.
“Initially, it was trial and error, but all events have since changed and I now have adequate experience in the production and marketing of the crop,” adds the farmer who heads a group of more than 20 passion fruit farmers belonging to the Kutsi Vision self-help group.
Among the popular varieties of passion fruits grown in the district is Edulis Pass Flora, referred to as the purple passion fruit.
Three years down the line, Mr Kemboi has never regretted quitting cereals and dairy farming in favour of passion fruit cultivation.
“I make about Sh400,000 annually from an acre of passion fruit in comparison to the less than Sh40,000 I used to earn from maize,” he says.
The farmer adds that through proper management, the fruit earned him an average of Sh600,000 in the second year but declined to almost Sh250,000 on the third year.
“I harvest about 10 tonnes of the fruit weekly, out of which seven land in the local market and three go for export,” he says.
Mr Kemboi sells a kilo of the fruit at between Sh30 and Sh50. His main markets are in Nairobi and Uganda.
Passion fruit farmers in Uasin Gishu district earned more than Sh2.2 million from 47,000 metric tonnes cultivated.
The enthusiasm Mr Kemboi and his group had for growing passion fruits earned them support from the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) in collaboration with the Kenya Horticultural Development Programme (KHDP), which provides them with technical support .
“Support from Usaid-KHDP through provision of clean seedlings has enabled the group increase acreage under cultivation and expand its market scope,” he says.
Mr Steve New, the director Usaid-KHDP, says passion fruit production in the country has increased from 65,000 tonnes to 70,000 tonnes in the last one year, with Rift Valley producing 18,000 tonnes.
“Passion fruit cultivation has proved to be a most profitable crop for small-scale farmers,” he says.
“However, to earn better profits, they require efficient management of the crop and proper market information.”
These sentiments are also echoed by Mrs Rebecca Soi, agricultural extension officer in charge Kiplombe division where Mr Kemboi cultivates his fruit.
She says that about 66 acres of land is under passion fruit cultivation in the area with more than 50 farmers engaged in the activity.
But there is no investment without challenges; and some of the difficulties Mr Kemboi has experienced since venturing in growing the fruit include attacks by pests and diseases on the crop, withering during dry periods and unsteady markets.
However, Dr New says pest attacks can be controlled by implementing the recommended farming practices. “Lack of proper information on modern production techniques such as supply of clean seedlings and diseases, as well as disease control is a major set back to passion fruit cultivation in the country,” he says.
