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PRODUCTION: Maize farmers from Rift Valley, the country’s grain basket are slowly shifting to other high-value crops as cost of production and effects of climate continue to increase. 

A spot check revealed that small-scale farmers have converted substantial portions of their land into avocado farming, a trend feared might affect maize production in the long run.  

Francis Serem and Beatrice Toroitich are some of the majority small- scale farmers in Uasin Gishu County who for many years have been farming maize, but four years ago shifted to avocado farming.

“Avocado farming has contributed to our financial transformation in the last few years.  And we cannot regret having shifted from maize production,” Serem said during a recent media tour of Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu counties.

Compared to the rate of returns in maize annually, he added, avocado farming is four times profitable and cost of production is less by far and also it is low labour intensive.

Until a few years ago small-scale farmers from the region enjoyed ready markets for their produce as the government every year factored funds in the budget to buy maize through National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).

But Serem who spoke at his farm in Kapsosio village, Moiben sub-county attributed the recent shift to avocado growing to high cost of production, fluctuating prices leading to low returns, poor harvests and huge post-harvest losses. 

For the last one year he has earned Sh150,000 from avocados, which he said is four times more than what he could earn from maize in one acre per year in the past.

North Rift has emerged as the new frontier in terms of high value crops mainly avocado, joining the league of leading producers in the country such as Murang’a, Kiambu, Nakuru, Nyamira, Kisii, Meru and Bomet counties.

National production

Between January and November 2021, Murang’a County’s avocado production accounted for 31 per cent of the total national production.

Horticulture Crops Directorate director Benjamin Tito said Uasin Gishu and Transnzoia are some of the counties in North Rift that have in the last one year doubled the area under avocado production. 

“And so these are counties to watch in avocado production in the next two years when the crops start maturing,” he said, adding that avocado production in the country increased to 84.5 million kilos between January and November 2021 compared to 70 million kilos in the same period in 2020.