Passionfruits Growing Tips In Kenya
Updated on 25-June 2018
If there is any crop that can unlock your farm's fortunes, and make you scream alleluia, then it is passion fruit. I am saying this because passion fruits have proven to have, a low cost of production, produce high yields per unit area, a ready market, and reasonable prices.
As I write this to you, Kenyan farmers who've taken the cultivation of passion fruits seriously are smiling all the way to the bank. The only complaint they have is, ‘not knowing the secret of growing passion fruit soon enough.'
Passion fruit can bring you immense profits!
If that statement has made you even slightly interested in passion fruit farming, I know you may have many questions:
- How much land do I need to start a passion fruit farm?
- Benefits of growing passion fruit.
- Profit margins possible from passion fruit farming
- What inputs do I require to start a passion orchard?
- Where do I sell harvested mature passion fruits?
- Where do I get passion fruit seeds/ seedlings for my farm?
- How do I carry out routine management of my passion fruit orchard?
- Climatic requirements for passion fruit growing
- And many more questions.
This issues are many and will need a lot of space to handle. Since I intend to write a comprehensive discussion, this article will be rather long. Find a comfortable chair sit back and relax.
Passionfruits Growing Tips In Kenya
Updated on 25-June 2018Passion fruit can bring you immense profits! |
- How much land do I need to start a passion fruit farm?
- Benefits of growing passion fruit.
- Profit margins possible from passion fruit farming
- What inputs do I require to start a passion orchard?
- Where do I sell harvested mature passion fruits?
- Where do I get passion fruit seeds/ seedlings for my farm?
- How do I carry out routine management of my passion fruit orchard?
- Climatic requirements for passion fruit growing
- And many more questions.
This issues are many and will need a lot of space to handle. Since I intend to write a comprehensive discussion, this article will be rather long. Find a comfortable chair sit back and relax.
Amount of land you need for Profitable production of passion fruit
HDC continues promoting private sector production of purple passion fruit grafted plants, but demand is still exceeding the ability of nurseries to produce. The good news for growers is that local, Ugandan and export demand is so high that we expect prices to hit Ksh. 90/Kg for quality passion fruit in December.Source: Horticulture development center monthly update November 2004Passion is a prevalent fruit in the domestic market used either as fresh fruit or for processing into juices.Source: Horticulture data 2005-2007 validated reportApril 2008
There is a considerable demand for passion fruit both in the local and export markets, but farmers have been unable to exploit this opportunity.Source: The organic farmer, a magazine for sustainable agriculture in KenyaIssue # 49 June 2009
Significant importers of passion fruit are Uganda (76%) Netherlands (8%), United Arab Emirates (4%), Belgium (3%), United Kingdom (2%) France (2%), and other countries (5%) like Rwanda, Qatar, Norway, Lebanon, Ireland, and Georgia among others...Source: Horticulture validated report 2010
Average yields amount to 10-15 t/ha per year for the purple and 20-25 t/ha per year for the yellow passion fruit. Much higher yields are possible; farmers have reported returns as high as 50 t/ha per year for purple passion fruit in Kenya.Source: www.infornet-biovision.org
Reports indicate that the demand for Kenyan passion fruit in Dubai is high because it is considered natural and high quality.
Source: Grow Kenya monthly issue #5 Feb 2011. (A publication of Kenya competitive project KHCP)
The benefits of growing passion fruit.
- You won't be worried of the market for your product. You have a ready market.
- A passion fruit farm is easy to manage; the only backbreaking job is during transplanting. Once that is over, the maintenance job is easy like drinking water.
- Low input cost, high returns. Passionfruit farming is the only type of agriculture where you'll have the opportunity to earn 400% or more profit.
- You have the opportunity to intercrop the plant with other crops, to maximize your farm's revenue.
- Three year-long harvest period. You are sure of earning a steady income throughout the period.
- Even small farms can produce huge profits.
Climatic Requirements For Passion Fruit Growing
Feasibility of growing passion fruit in Kenya.
This change of consumer preferences has made manufacturers like Coca-Cola, Delmonte, Kevian juices venture into processing passion fruit juices, mango juice, apple juice, grape juice and other fruit juices.
The math behind passion fruit millions
- I acre is approximately 4000m2
- The recommended spacing of passion fruit is 2 meters X 3 meters.
- That means, one plant will need 6 square meters to grow well.
- To find the number of plants per acre, you divide 4,000 by 6=666 plants.
- At the spacing of 2 meters by 3 meters, one plant can yield up to 23 kg of fruit per season.
- At such high production levels per plant, you'll get up to 15 tons per acre of fruit.
- If one kg sells at a conservative price of KSH 80, you will make sales of KSH1,200,000/=
- If you factor in ALL the costs of production at KSH 480,000/=, you will make a net profit of KSH 720,000/=
What you need to start a passion fruit farm.
- Grafted Purple passion seedlings.
- Farmyard manure
- Conduct a soil test
- Depending on the results of the trial, you will need inorganic fertilizers like DAP, CAN, Multi K prills, MAP, NPK, etc.
- Plant hormones to initiate flowering and to regulate growth
- Foliar feeds to spur the different cycles of plant growth to maximize returns.
- Fungicides to manage diseases.
Where can I sell mature passion fruits profitably?
Where to buy passion fruit seeds/ seedlings
So how do you get the seeds to establish your passion fruit orchard despite this limitation?
How do carry out routine management of my passion fruit orchard?
Useful links on Passion farming
1. Passion fruit varieties in the World
2. Passion fruit growing stages
3. Grafting passion fruit like a pro
4. Where do passion fruits grow?