Discovering fortunes of the dragon fruit

Located in Malaa along Kangundo Road some 40 kilometers from Nairobi is a farm that attracts everyone’s eyes.

Though the area is semi-arid, with temperatures ranging from 20 degrees to 30 degrees Celsius with black cotton soil, Waweru Murimi’s dragon fruit plants are thriving.

The farm holds over 2,000 plants, and he is keen to increase the number, in a quest to quench the thirst of those who want to have a taste of the super delicious fruits.

Not many farmers grow the crop in Kenya, and pioneer farmers say that the fruits sell at over Sh500 per kilo. Could it be the next frontier? Time will tell.

“My interest in dragon fruits farming started in 2016, when I met a friend who had dragon fruit seeds. I paid Sh8,000 for seeds, which were never delivered nor was the money refunded. I never lost hope and interest, so I started researching about dragon fruits from the internet, as well as joining various dragon fruit groups around the world,” narrates Mr Murimi, adding that he did a lot of research about the crop.

Through the research, he learnt that the best propagation method is by using cuttings, which take 1 to 1½ years to produce fruits, unlike using seeds which takes 4-6 years.

He contacted Max Van Heerden of Dragon Fruit South Africa (World of Pitaya), who offered him more information about the plant and offered to sell cuttings to him. Then, he applied for Import Permit from Kephis and sent it to him to enable him get phytosanitary certificate, indicating the cuttings were free from any disease and pests.

“On December 2016, I got my first cuttings and started the rooting process. Once they were rooted, on January 26, 2017, I planted some on containers and others on the ground,” says the farmer.

Market price

Before venturing into dragon fruit farming, he had heavily invested in apple farming, but the performance was very poor.

“Through research, I learnt that dragon fruit is a subtropical fruit which requires less attention and it’s adaptable to our country. And by the time I was planting, a kilo of dragon fruits was costing Sh2,300 in Nakumatt supermarket, which I could not afford, thus I made a decision to grow my own,” reveals Mr Murimi, adding that he imported about 100 cuttings which cost him about Sh200,000.

The farmer says that being a climbing cactus, it needs trellis for support and if not controlled, it can climb up to 50 feet. Alternatively, he adds, it can be planted along a perimeter wall.

Unlike other cactuses, dragon fruit requires water and manure, but water logging and over-watering can cause root rot, therefore it’s advisable to just water like vegetables.

“This being a dry area, I had to dig a shallow well to get water, do mulching and plant cover crops like purple sweet potato vines to conserve moisture and control the weeds,” adds the 54-year-old.

He reveals that before Covid-19, the price of one kilo of dragon fruits was Sh2,299 in upmarket grocery stores, but currently, it is going for Sh1,350.

“The price drop was caused by major consumers like China banning its imports. This being an exotic fruit with its origin in Central and South America, not many people who have ventured into its cultivation, but using digital platforms like Facebook, we are trying to encourage farmers to invest in it, not necessarily for wealth, but for health benefits. The results have been positive,” says the farmer.

Mr Murimi says dragon fruit has a fibrous root system, so the soil must be fine tilled to allow easy root establishment. It’s not selective to soil type provided it is well-draining.

In his contribution to encourage more farmers, he offers free farm visit and free training on how to grow dragon fruits.

“I grow them organically since they respond very well to decomposed manure. Occasionally, I use Epson salt (Magnesium Sulphate) which helps in flowering and photosynthesis. When harvesting cuttings, one has to select segments older than two years which are mature and will fruit faster when planted. Cutting propagation always retains the mother plant qualities,” says the farmer.

He is still expanding and currently, he has about 2,000 plants in the farm that is approximately one acre. He uses concrete poles for trellis to achieve high density planting, with four cuttings per pole.

High in nutrients

The plant has a life span of between 20-30 years, so a strong and durable pole is required.

Some of the challenges that the farmer has gone through include; cost of making concrete poles, cost of land for expansion and importing other dragon fruit varieties such as the yellow ones which are expensive.

“From my experience, the biggest challenge in dragon fruits farming is stagnant water, which causes root rot and fungus, which I control using neem oil or cutting and disposing the infected branch segment,” he says, adding that snails and slugs also feed on young and tender shoots.

Other diseases include canker, which is not very common. Very high temperatures cause yellowing of stems which can result in stem rot. “Use of Epsom salt and neem oil is recommended,” adds the farmer.

According to Faith Ndungi, from Egerton University’s department of Human Nutrition, the fruit is highly nutritious. It is rich in antioxidants, vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotene, protein, calcium, iron as well as phosphorous. Its seeds contain omega-3 fats.

The pulp can be used to make juice, yoghurt and ice cream. The delicious fruit can also be consumed raw.

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