Growing up, Kate Wambugu witnessed her father making money in Apple farming, a venture she stepped into years later, making a kill out of it.
Kate runs a multimillion fruit farm in Laikipia which she named after her father Peter Wambugu. According to her, apple farming is one of the most lucrative ventures and is not labor-intensive as many would presume.
“My father was the founder of the Wambugu Apple, he started in 1985, and it was named after him. We’ve seen our dad making money.”
“Whatever you do is more about the end product. Whether the job leaves you clean or dirty, what matters is what you are getting out of the hustle.” Stated Kate.
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She stated that a one-acre farm can accommodate 600 seedlings that can be harvested for about 100 years. She added that one tree can produce close to 200 fruits per harvest, and one can harvest up to three times per year.
When planting the trees, Kate insists that manure is key and can become the difference between success and failure. The fruit is believed to perform well in cold regions as a cold climate enables them to abort leaves to allow flowering to take place.
“Apple is a temperate fruit, which requires cold weather to break its dormancy. Cold stress them, resulting to the shedding of leaves,” Peter Wambugu told the Standard during a past interview.
The trees are at the same time said to flourish better in deep and well-drained soils. The most preferred soil pH is between 5.5 to 6.5.
The plants take around 9 months to reach maturity. According to Kate, when handled correctly, a farmer can rake in Sh10 million per acre per harvest.
The fruits can be sold locally or in international markets such as the United Kingdom (UK) upon getting an export nod from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
