Enterprise
Scientist taps into demand for most expensive fruit in Kenya
Thursday February 23 2023
Rows of dragon fruits on a farm in Kathura village, Imenti Central, Meru County. FILE PHOTO | CHARLES WANYORO | NMG
After retiring from the Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organisation, Monica Waiganjo ventured into unchartered waters, not sure what would become of her new move.
Dr Waiganjo, through her survey, realised that Kenya imports all the dragon fruits that are sold locally, mainly from South American countries. And therein she saw an opportunity that was yet to be tapped.
She quickly set up her Sungreen Harvest Company.
The company mainly deals with the propagation and selling of dragon fruit cuttings as well as offers advisory services to those who want to venture into this new crop and make as much as Sh2 million from an acre of farmland.
Dragon fruit has become popular in Kenya in recent years, attracting the attention of farmers keen to explore agribusiness investment opportunities.
Currently, there are about three orchards that are planting these fruits locally.
The dragon fruit, which falls in the same class as the cactus, is the most expensive in the country at the moment, with a kilo going for between Sh1,000 and Sh3,000 in retail outlets, mainly because of a shortage and rising demand of 99 percent of the fruits come from South America.
Dr Waiganjo, a researcher and horticulture crop specialist is now breeding seeds and selling them to interested farmers.
“I call it a super fruit because of the benefits that it comes with, which prompted me to carry out more research and gather information on it after realising its rising popularity in the country,” said Dr Waiganjo.
Dragon fruits are rich in antioxidants, high in fibre, and fat-free. They can help lower blood sugar levels and contain prebiotics that helps maintain a healthy gut.
The fruit can also be used for value addition to make a range of industrial products such as juices, jams, and wines.
Dragon fruit, though it may be planted as a basic seed, it is popularly grown using cuttings. One stem of a cutting, measuring about 30 inches goes for Sh500 with farmers requiring close to Sh800,000 for an acre of land.
Dr Waiganjo said the benefits that come with growing the crop outweigh the cost that farmers incur at first during planting.
She explained that in subsequent seasons, a farmer will get the cuttings from his or her own plantation, making it a one-off expense.
“After the initial expenses, a farmer will no longer incur an additional cost because if they want the cuttings they can get them from the initial crop,” she pointed out.
By her estimation, Dr Waiganjo said a farmer can earn up to Sh2 million from an acre of dragon fruit from the two seasons of harvesting after they have matured.
The plant starts producing between the sixth to eighth month with continuous harvesting of up to 50 years. It starts giving maximum fruits after a year.
She said as more farmers grow the fruit, the price of the commodity at the shelf will reduce as well as the cost incurred in procuring cuttings, because of sufficient supply.
Anthony Mugambi, a dragon fruit farmer said he went into agribusiness after observing his Asian friends.
“I observed that people from Asia live a long healthy life and I wanted to know what they do or eat to have such a lifestyle. A Chinese friend told me that they eat their fruit as medicine, and I asked him, what fruits are these? He said dragon fruit, and that is how I started growing it,” said Mr Mugambi.
He started by propagating the seed from mature fruit and now he is expanding using the cuttings from the mother crop.
He sells a kilo of dragon fruit at between Sh1,000 and Sh3,000 depending on the season of the year.
Dr Waiganjo said the dragon, being a desert crop can grow in most parts of the country because of their tolerant nature to the vagaries of weather.
“Dragon fruit is drought tolerant and it is not soil specific, considering that our soils are mostly acidic, these fruits can withstand that condition making it ideal to grow in most parts of the country,” she said.
Those who are constrained in terms of land size or have a backyard garden in the city, can grow this fruit in the bucket.
The crop requires well-drained soil with plenty of organic manure for it to do well. Farmers are required to erect a supporting structure for the crop that will support the fruits.
With the changing water patterns and water becoming a scarce commodity, the dragon fruits adapt well to harsh climatic conditions as they only require minimal water for their survival.
