Daniel Nyamweya, a farmer in Kisii County is witnessing increased avocado income after adopting grafting.
The farmer started growing the fruit four years ago on his quarter-acre farm. According to him, his non-grafted avocadoes would earn him between Sh. 35,000 to Sh. 40,000 but the income has since doubled to Sh. 83,000 courtesy of grafting.
“Currently my income has doubled to Sh. 83,000 after I planted 20 trees of grafted Hass varieties which I bought at Sh. 100 each,” Said Nyamweya.
Grafting is a technique that involves taking a stem, bud or scion from one plant and attaching it to the rootstock of another plant.
This technique helps in increasing the yield and quality of a crop while also reducing the need for pesticides and other chemicals.
According to sources, grafted Hass avocadoes mature in one and a half years, six months earlier than the normal two-year period for a normal seedling.
“With the grafted seedlings, farmers can obtain quick fruiting in their plants. The flowers and fruits produced by a graft are of superior quality as compared to the original variety,” Said Alphonse Obino, the Head Manager of Aberdare Technologies Limited Kisii branch.
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Local farmers say the lifespan of an avocado tree is between 25 and 40 years. The first fruit for an avocado tree which was planted through a seed appears about 3 to 4 years after planting.
Meanwhile, a grafted avocado tree produces its first fruits after 2 to 3 years. Farmers are said to experience a bumper harvest from the 5th to 10th year after planting.
According to Nyamweya, the avocado market is widely available locally as well as in the international markets where they fetch better prices.
The current export countries for Kenyan avocadoes are China, the USA, The Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, France, Spain and India.
Nyamweya sells his produce to customers in Kisii and also to brokers who come to the farm to purchase directly.