By Lyzzie Owade

Kiambu County farmer Bonface Ngugi started growing pawpaw in 2021 after Covid, for its ease, disease resistance and top prices. Today, he is earning over Sh1m a month from the fruit.

At the time, he was seeing oranges and mangoes selling for as little as Sh10 each. Where PawPaws were fetching from Sh30 to as high as Sh80 each, and were far easier to grow.

“Pawpaw doesn’t take a lot of space and doesn’t require as much work as other crops, and there is no other fruit as expensive as pawpaw,” he said. 

“When you want to plant pawpaw you just have to prepare the land and put manure in the hole. It’s cheap and it doesn’t need much labour.

He now works alone on his farm. “Not like when I used to plant maize, when I needed more men to help with the work.”

But getting a regular flow of fruit has been challenging.

A pawpaw tree starts producing fruit 6 to 12 months after planting and will keep fruiting for 2 to 3 years. It flowers and sets fruit continuously, but each fruit takes 5 to 6 months to mature, with yields fluctuating with temperature, rainfall, and plant health.

In wetter, warmer months pawpaws set more fruit; with flowering slowing in cooler or very dry months.

Boniface plants in batches, but it took him time to build up to the 200 trees he has niw, as many of his  early seedlings turned out male and bore no fruit. 

“I bought the seeds at Sh5,000, and with 200 seedlings you can plant half an acre. Now I have 200 trees, but I didn’t plant them all at the same time. Some are very young, while most are already producing fruit. The main challenge is getting a regular supply.”.

Having too much fruit ripen at the same time can effect the prices, with pawpaws selling for Sh70 to Sh80 in the market, but as low as Sh30 locally. “When you sell them in the village they are cheaper, with people buying them for more like Sh30. That’s a big loss to farmers. But when they are all ripe, you have no choice but to sell them at the lower price to avoid a bigger loss.”

Read Also:

Nyamira farmer keeps pawpaws producing through the year with irrigation

New Improved Solo Sunrise pawpaw doubles farmer yields

Ex-Mumias farmers find top earner in pawpaw jam, oil and drinks

“I usually go to markets in Kiambu and Nairobi and find those who sell pawpaw, and agree with them on the price and how I can deliver in bulk. This only works if you have a regular supply, since they need more than 100 pieces a week. The demand is high, but the supply is often low with sometimes too few of my fruits ripening. They are not seasonal, so some customers want them, but I can’t supply them, because the fruit hasn’t matured.”

The main disease problems are yellowing leaves and powdery mildew, which shows as a white powder on leaves or fruit, but us generally mill on PawPaw. “Sometimes the fruit has a powder on it, but that’s not very common. We buy fungicide from the agrovet. You just explain the problem and they will give you the right one. You have to spray it early, because if you spray after the disease is there, it won’t work, and the fruit will be left with a mark and no one will buy it.”

Boniface’s 200 trees each produce about 50 fruits a month, with around two fruits ripening each day, This can deliver as much as 400 fruits a day. “When the pawpaw does well you can make Sh1.2 million. It’s best when you have someone buying in bulk and you control aphids with early spraying every two weeks.”

Bonface Ngugi a farmer from Kiambu County started pawpaw farming  in 2021 since other fruits  like oranges and mangoes were cheap as low as 10/=.He just bought seeds from local seeds and start to prepare seedlings for planting.You know pawpaw doesn’t take a lot of space and it doesn’t require more work  like other crops and there is no other fruit which is expensive as papaw. He said.

When you want to plant pawpaw  you just have to prepare the land and add manure in the hole.Its cheap and it doesn’t require more labor.I only have to work on my own in the farm not like the way I used to plant maize back then since I will require more men to help with the work . I started by propagating the seedlings but this is always difficult because some turns to be men and they can’t produce any fruits.I bought the seeds at 5000/= and for 200 seedlings you can plant half an acre.Now I have 200 trees and i didn’t plant it at the same time. Some are you, some have started to produce fruits. This is the major challenge since you can’t have a regular supply. He added

‘’One piece of pawpaw is around 70 to 80/= when you take it to the market. When you sell them locally in the village it’s cheap since more people are just buying them from 30/= which is a great loss to the farmers but since you have no option and they are all ripe. You have no where to take them but to just sell them at a lower price to avoid a great loss. I usually go individually to markets around Kiambu and Nairobi and look for those who always sell pawpaw and agree with them the price and planned how i can take them on bulk.This always require if you have a regular supply since it need if you can get more than 100 pieces in a week since the demand is high in the market.The supply is usually low since sometimes I have less pawpaw since they are not seasonal fruits so some customers wants it but I can’t supply since the fruit has not matured.’’ Ngugi said.

The major challenge is the leaves turn to yellow and the mild dew.You get the fruits itself has some powder and its not more common.This we always buy some fungicide from the agrovet. You just have to explain everything to them and he will give you the right fungicide to use and you have to spray it before since if you do after it won’t work and it will remain with some  mark and no one will buy.

When you have around 200 trees and each tree produces around 50 fruits and each day two ripes that’s around 400. In the market the fruit is 80/=. When the papaya does well you can have 1.2m.Pawpaw is more good when you get someone who buys in bulk and prevents the aphids with early spraying within two weeks.