Agribusiness has long been a profitable sector in Kenya’s economy, especially for those not in traditional office jobs. The industry covers a wide range of sectors.

One profitable way to earn from agribusiness is through fruit farming. Zachariah Makori is one of the many farmers in Kenya growing pineapples in Mlunguni village, Kilifi County.

In a past interview, the happy farmer revealed his 16-acre pineapple farm that stretched as far as the eye could meet the horizon.

Makori began farming over a decade ago, recalling his first investment as Sh. 30,000 spent on clearing land, ploughing and planting melons. He also had capital for leasing an acre at Sh. 5,000.

“I started as a fruit vendor in 2010 selling melons, pineapples and avocados. Then I moved to growing watermelons in 2013 on half an acre,” he recalled.

“I got some income out of it but the venture largely flopped because I had no skills in farming. I did some research and visited established farmers for lessons.”

After his first trial, Makori went back to the farm again but this time to try a different variety of fruits and vegetables. They included okras, pineapples, capsicum and indigenous vegetables.

“The crops did well and I got some good income from them selling the produce in the Coast towns of Kilifi and Mombasa,” Makori added.

Confident from his previous success, Makori expanded his watermelon farm to 24 acres. However, disaster struck when ravaging floods wiped out his entire irrigation line alongside the crops. He counted losses of over Sh. 3 million.

“I have never recovered from the loss but this did not stop me from farming, which is what I love. I moved to Pineapples, the Smooth Cayenne variety in 2019. This is because the crop is resilient, fetches better prices and is easy to manage,” Makori explained in a past interview.

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Over the years, Makori perfected his pineapple farming techniques. During a trip to Zimbabwe, Makori learned about the Master pit technology, similar to zai pits.

These pits are 40cm long, 30cm wide, and 45cm deep. After digging, he mixes compost manure with topsoil and fills the pits before planting pineapples.

He plants pineapple suckers that are 30cm long, while the pits are supposed to be spaced 60cm apart. Pineapples take 18 months to mature after planting.

They need regular weeding and top-dressing with nitrogen, calcium, and potassium-rich fertilizers at 2 & 15 months. From a single acre of pineapples, Makori gets an average of 7,000 pieces annually.

“The majority of my clients are wholesalers from Malindi, Kilifi, Mombasa and Nairobi. I sell each fruit for between Sh. 40 and Sh. 100 and one crop may last up to 5 years until production runs out,” he said.

Makori admitted that the Master pit technology is labour-intensive but noted that it’s a long-term investment.