TIPS TOWARDS RELISHING THE OPULENCE IN FRUIT FARMING

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Did you know that you do not need to have a big farm so as to be able start fruit farming? Unlike vegetable farming, fruit farming can be done anywhere and everywhere as in every climatic region there is a fruit that performs best there.

So often many farmers always incur losses simply because of one common mistake, and that is starting a project without carrying out research about the product they are investing in. In Kenya, we have diverse fruit varieties which have specific regions in which they do well. Today we going to take you through the process you should take before launching a fruit farming business venture.

Fruit Tree Knowledge

This is the first and most important stage of the journey. With the knowledge a farmer is able to tell whether the venture will be viable or not. A farmer has to look into the history and the present affairs of the fruit tree. Getting equipped with basic knowledge of the plants will be essential and also critical in the event you happen to start facing challenges. This will be boost as they shall be resolved professionally due to the master of product knowledge.

Market Analysis

This is where you check how the specific fruit you plan to venture in performs both in local and international market. Here you also get to know which fruit performs best in the market year in , year out. With this you get to know how large your market is, how pricing is structured or will be structured and how to always ensure you remain competitive in the industry.

With this you should also be able to develop your growth strategy plan in the event your venture turns out successful. Always it is advisable to have an expansion plan as definitely you will not run small venture forever.

Financial Projections

Here you as a farmer have to express the financial targets for the fruit farming venture. This can either be expressed as long term or short term targets. Thorough research is needed here so as you are able to work with realistic figures which will outline how the marketing and sales eventually would equate to profits. In this section, it is where you will be able to make cost and earnings predictions.

Good Agricultural Practice (GAP)

Pomegranate farming in Kenya — Pomegranate

Many farmers go wrong here in the sense they forget trees are also plants and abandon them after transplanting, in the event end up making losses. But did you know, unlike vegetables fruit trees with Good Agricultural Practice there is potential of production increase season after season per tree? For instance like tree tomato which is an unexploited treasure after the first harvest they start producing per tree between 2kg and 3kg after every fortnight and with 1,200 trees that translates to between 2,400kg and 3,600kg, and a kilo on average goes for between Sh80-Sh100.

The basic good agricultural practices you should carry out are as follows;

Regular weeding
Regular Pruning
Regular frequent irrigation
Regular farm yard manure application
Regular field scouting to identify potential threats of pest and diseases infestation.

If you carry out all the above, why should you not be an excellent farmer? We as Oxfarm, are ready and willing to guide you all through from the beginning if you do not know where to start from as we have a team of experts equipped with skills to help you in any department of your interest.