Kisii County Farmers have been asked to plant the Jumbo variety of avocados.
The Director for Horticultural Crops Directorate, Benjamin Tito, said there is a new development, where the Jumbo variety of avocados, has acquired an international market hence creating a niche for the local farmers to venture in.
Addressing the press at the Agricultural Training Center (ATC), The Director encouraged nursery gardeners across the country to tour Gusii land and carry back with them the rootstalk from the region because it can easily adapt in most parts of the country.
“Initially, the export market would only pick Hass and Fuertes varieties of avocado. But with the Jumbo variety, the market is coming up because the avocado has a very high content of oil and forms the best rootstalk,” said Tito.
Tito mentioned that the Directorate in partnership with Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service are working to register nurseries with Jumbo avocados across the country in order to meet its local and international market demand.
Kisii County Boss, James Ongwae urged farmers to work towards being recognized as a leading grower of Jumbo avocados since other regions have extensively focused on growing the popular varieties of avocado.
He added that an Avocado factory is already in place and is looking for an investor to run the business of the plant because the County has the capacity to grow a wide variety of avocados.
Ongwae also pointed out that with farmer’s cooperatives in place, it would be much easier to address major issues on the farmers and slowly start introducing the value addition to the Jumbo avocados variety.