Kisii to farm Jumbo Avocado

Kisii County is urging their farmers to consider Jumbo avocados as a new crop to invest in. The growing demand of the crop globally can be a great source of income for the people of this area. But why is Kisii specifically appealing to farm Jumbo avocados?

The director of horticultural crops directorate, Benjamin shared some insight on the growth of the Jumbo avocados. He said that the crop has opened doors to an international market that local farmers have access to.

“Due to the high content of oil in the Jumbo variety of avocados, the demand internationally is great” shared Mr Tito.

The Director also encouraged nursery operators across the country to visit Kisii and pick the rootstalk from the region because it has the resistance to most fungal infections and can easily adapt in many regions of the country.

Benefits for Kisii as a hub for farming Jumbo Avocados

Furthermore, the director urged for all to pick up the rootstalk from the Kisii region as it showed the highest resistance to infection. Additionally, the fact that the rootstalk adapts easily in other regions means that it is highly likely to survive.

Mr Tito said the Directorate was working with Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) to register nurseries with Jumbo avocados. The more Jumbo avocados in the region for sale will help the economies of scale.

Governor James Ongwae encouraged farmers to use this chance to become a recognized presence in the supply of Jumbo avocados. The other types of avocado, Fuerte and Hass, are popular in other regions but Kisii could claim the Jumbo variety.

The County Boss noted they had already built an Avocado Factory and is looking for an investor to conduct the day-to-day business of the plant because the County has the capacity to grow a wide variety of avocados.

The existing avocado factory is currently looking for an investor to handle the daily business. Moreover, the new factory will increase the capacity to grow avocados.