Shiachi Avocado granary farm in Mundala, Kakamega County. After unsuccessfully trying his hand in politics in 2002, Paul Onduso was convinced by his wife to redirect his energies to a more lucrative venture.
All along, his wife had been against the idea of him joining politics. The couple agreed they would focus on something worthwhile in case things didn’t go his way in politics.
At the back of her mind was horticultural farming, a venture the couple embraced close to 15 years ago.
In 2017, Mr Onduso attended a workshop on Hass avocado farming in Nairobi and learnt about the huge potential the venture promised.
“I discovered there was readily available international market in the Middle East and Europe. I came back home and set aside five acres specifically for avocado farming in early 2018,” he said.
He chose to grow Hass avocado, a grafted avocado crossed with a local variety.
A visit to Shiachi Granary Avocado Farm in the sleepy village of Mundala in Kisa Central location in Khwisero, Kakamega County, paints a picture of someone who made the right choice of abandoning politics for agriculture.
Onduso currently lives in Nairobi but is able to monitor everything that goes on in his farm, thanks to technology.
Cellphone connection
He can give instructions on what should be done through a cellphone connected to CCTV cameras at the farm. Floodlights are mounted all over the farm.
“Hass avocado is the new goldmine for modern farmers, though many people in the region are still skeptical about embracing it. It does not require much labour and time to maintain and its demand locally and abroad is high,” he said.Onduso said climatic conditions in Western are favourable for Hass avocado farming, which one cannot harvest twice a year.Western region weather conditions are similar to that of Mexico, the world’s largest exporter of Hass avocado.He said Hass avocado has at least 30 per cent oil content compared to local ones that have less than five per cent. The oil is used to manufacture perfumes.“A farmer is required to plant 150 stems spaced at five metres apart in an acre. After three years, each stem produces at least 500 avocados per season for the next 30 years. It’s packaged in a four-kilogramme box that goes for between Sh250 and Sh370,” said Onduso.He said five to seven metre spacing ensures the avocado trees will still have direct access to sunlight even after they have […]