Is Passion fruit farming profitable in Kenya? Yes, according to successful farmers’ stories, growing passion fruits can make you a lot of money within a short time. In this passion fruit farming guide, we will give you all the details you need to establish a profitable fruit farming business focusing on the passion fruits. In particular, you will learn about;
- Which are best areas to farm passion fruits in Kenya
- Which is the best passion fruit variety to grow in Kenya
- What is the cost of starting an acre of passion fruit farmer
- How much money can you make growing passion fruits in Kenya
- Best tips to get higher yields and profits from passion fruit farming
Where are passion fruit grown in Kenya
Are you wondering if passion fruits can do well in your farm? The following are the ideal agro-ecological or best conditions for where passion fruit is grown best
- Heavy well drained and fertile sandy loams soils with a pH value of 5.5 – 7
- A well distributed rainfall 900-2000mm but when rainfall
- Optimum temperatures with a ranger of 18-25°C for the purple variety and 25-30°C. for the yellow variety.
If your soil acidity is too acidic, its recommended you use agricultural lime to lower it. On the other hand if the rainfall is low, supplement it with irrigation.
Given the above agro-climatic conditions, the leading counties in passion fruit production in Kenya are summarized in the table below.
| Region | Counties |
| Rift Valley | Uasin Gishu, Elegeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, Nandi, Baringo, Bomet, Nakuru & West Pokot |
| Eastern | Embu, Meru |
| Nyanza | Kisii, Nyamira, Kisumu, Homa Bay |
| Central | Kiambu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri |
| Western | Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma |
| Coast | Lamu. Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa & Tana River |
Which is the best passion fruit variety to grow in Kenya
There are 5 passion fruit varieties that you can grow in Kenya. In this post we have categorised into common and the less popular varieties O
Common passion fruit varieties in Kenya
There are 2 passion fruit varieties that are most common in Kenya; the yellow passion and the purple passion fruit varieties. They are widely grown for commercial purposes. Their fruits has a high demand in the local and export markets. Below is a summary of their characteristics.
Purple passion
- The variety produces purple colored fruits when they are ripe
- The variety does well in upper midland highland zones with an altitude of 1,200 -2,000 metres above sea level
- The fruit can grow to of 4-5 cm in diameter
- The Purple passion has a superior and aromatic flavor than the Yellow Passion
- Used for fresh market and juice extraction
- Popular passion fruit in the export market to Uganda, United Arab Emirates & Tanzania
- Some of the varieties by KALRO are KPF 4, KPF 1, KPF 12, C-5 & Brazil
Yellow passion
- Does well in the lower midland and lowland zones
- Is more vigorous and produces larger fruits of 5-7 cm ore in diameter
- The fruits are more acidic and its commonly used in fresh juice extraction
- Resistant to Fusarium Wilt
- Tolerant to Phytophtora Root Rot Nematodes and Brown Spot diseases
- Used as rootstock for purple passion fruit grafting
Less popular passion fruit varieties in Kenya
The lessor popular passion fruit varieties are 3;
- Sweet passion
- Banana passion
- Giant passion.
These types do well in cooler climates and are found in highlands with an altitude of more than 1500 metres above sea level
What is the cost of starting an acre of passion fruit farming in Kenya
