Apple farming in Kenya is slowly
gaining popularity. This may be due to the high and increasing demand of the
fruit while there is limited local supply. Most of the fruits found in the
local market are imported from South Africa. South Africa is the main supplier
of apples to Kenya. Initially, the farming of the fruit was confined to the
highland regions of Kiambu, Kitale, and Nandi but as of 2024 we have the practice going on in most parts of Kenya including the drier coastal areas.
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| Apple farming in Kenya: Kirinyaga |
In apple farming, there are three
factors to consider in order to achieve a high yield with big juicy fruits.
These are:
- Ecological requirements for apple farming in Kenya
- The orchard establishment practices
- The apple market in Kenya
Ecological requirements for growing apples in Kenya
The orchard should be selected on a
site having deep, fertile, well drained and well aerated loamy-sandy soil, with
a slightly acidic to alkaline P.H of 5.5-6.5.
The crop does well in the high-altitude regions of 1800m-2800m above sea level, with rainfall requirement of 1000mm-1800mm per annum. However, very high amount of rainfall is associated with incidences of fungal disease. Regions with low rainfall amounts, irrigation is recommended as the apple tree requires high water amounts for the high yields.
Establishment
Propagation
Apples can be produced sexually through
the seed or vegetatively through grafting and budding. For juicy and a high
yield, grafting is highly recommended as the fruit retains their parental
properties compared to seed production whose characteristics may vary from
those of the parent plant. Propagation by seed is only used in the preparation of a
rootstock. However, this is a stage you do not have to worry about because
Richfarm Kenya has already grafted apple seedlings for sale. You only need to Call or Whatsapp us on 0724698357 and place your order.
Land preparation
During land preparation, the land
should be cleared of all the trees, bushes or shrubs. Any obstruction including
stones that might prevent root penetration should also be removed. All the
annual and perennial weeds should be cleared from the site as well.
The spacing is selected depending on
the rootstock, variety and the altitude of the site. The holes are dug in a
square or rectangular layout at a spacing of 3m X 2m or 3m X 3m for smaller
varieties and 4m X 4m or 4m X 5m for the medium and large varieties. The
planting hole for apples should be 60cm deep and 60cm wide.
Planting
The top soil from the established hole
is separated from the subsoil and mixed with 250g of TSP and 20kg of manure. On
placing the tree inside the hole, the topsoil is first replaced and firmed
around the root region to avoid air pockets. The subsoil is used to cover the
hole and care should be taken as to level the planting hole with the
surrounding area.
The apple tree is a self-sterile crop
and thus needs a pollinator to be established in the orchard to encourage cross
pollination thus fertilization of the crop.
Best Apple Farming Cultural Practices in Kenya
1. Mulching
A thick organic mulch is recommended to
maintain moisture around the root zone during the early stages of crop
development and also suppresses the growth of weeds.
2. Irrigation
Apples require a lot of moisture during
the flowering and fruiting stage. Therefore, if you are growing apples in the
hotter regions of Kenya, you will need to irrigate your trees. However, keep in
mind that excess water around the root zone will encourage disease outbreak and
thus low crop yield.
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| Apples growing under irrigation in Kajiado, Kenya |
3. Pruning
Pruning will provide a strong framework
for the apples and encourage high yields and the development of juicy and tasty
fruits. During the first year the central shoot is pruned back to 1m from the
ground to allow branching, and then 3-4 strong shoots are selected. During the
second year the scaffold branches are pruned to encourage lateral branching.
From the laterals 3-4 branches are selected and then pruned to encourage
development of the lateral branches. The development of many lateral branches
will increase the number of fruits each tree carries.
4. Nutritional needs for apple trees
Application of fertilizer is done according to the soil requirements and the leaf tissue analysis of the plant. So make sure you have done a soil test for your farm before planting the apple seedlings. But to generally guide you, a month after planting urea/CAN is added to provide Nitrogen to the plant and encourage growth. The subsequent years Farm yard manure, CAN at 125g per tree, DAP at 150g is applied in 2-3 splits per tree per year.
Also read: How To Grow Sweet Fruits And Keep Your Customers Coming Back For More
5. Pests and Disease control
Prevention measures are the best and
most economical way for controlling pest and diseases and ensuring a high
yielding crop. The measures include pruning, timely weed control, proper
fertilizer application and selection of the suitable variety. Organic products
such as neem extracts and synthetic pesticides and fungicides may be used to
control pests and diseases respectively. We shall cover the common pests and
diseases that affect apple farmers in Kenya in detail in another article.
The Market and Profitability of Apple Farming in Kenya
The best way to start apple farming in Kenya is by planting grafted seedlings. These seedlings will take 1 year to start producing fruits good enough to get you ready for the market. On the other hand, it will take 7 to 8 years for apple trees to mature if you plant them from seeds.
Apple farming is one of the most profitable businesses with the potential of earning a farmer over 1 Million shillings in a year from 1 acre. An acre can accommodate 450 apple trees with a spacing of 3x3m and yield between 10 and 15 tons of fruit. A kilo of apples sells for not less than Ksh100, hence, a farmer with 1 acre can make Ksh1,000,000 to Ksh1,500,000. The average cost of setting up an acre of apples in Kenya is about Ksh300,000.
The best avenues to market your apples include:
- Local supermarkets: This method is ideal for farmers with large production capacities. Supermarkets provide one of the most reliable marketing channels due to their formalized nature of operation.
- Local vendors: Almost every town in Kenya now has open-air fruit vendors and apples are some of the most traded commodities by them. They provide the most accessible marketing channel for small-scale farmers. Since most of these traders get their apples all the way from Nairobi City Market, they would be very happy to buy from you if you can deliver to their selling points.
- The Nairobi City Market wholesalers: These wholesalers provide another great way to offload your produce in bulk. However, you should be aware of market brokers who can take advantage of you if you try selling to the wholesalers at the market without prior arrangements.
If you need any help with apple farming in Kenya, high-quality grafted apple seedlings, and setting up your orchard, call Richfarm Kenya on 0724698357.
