Kenya is a country known for its diverse agricultural produce, and one crop that has been gaining popularity in recent years is avocados. Apart from being a delicious fruit with countless health benefits, avocados are also a lucrative fruit.

Since they do well in tropical and sub-tropical climates, the country offers an ideal location for avocado farming.

Are you wondering what avocado varieties are there? While most people are familiar with Hass and Kienyeji avocados, many varieties can be grown in Kenya.

What Conditions Do Avocados Need?

Like other fruits, avocados do have specific ecological and soil requirements. They thrive in areas with:

  • Abundant sunshine
  • Deep, well-drained, fertile soils with a pH range of 5.5–7.0.
  • Cool temperatures
  • Adequate, well-distributed rainfall. However, they can be grown under irrigation.

They can be grown in nearly all areas at different altitudes. They perform best in regions like:

  •          Meru
  •          Nyeri
  •          Eldoret
  •          Kiambu
  •          Kisii
  •          Muranga
  •          Parts of Eastern Kenya, like Machakos and Kathiani
  •          Mua Hills
  •          Most parts of Nyanza, like Kisumu

Factors To Consider When Selecting an Avocado Variety

Do you plan to get into commercial avocado farming? Before venturing into agribusiness, you need to consider factors like yield potential, market demand, disease resistance, and harvest timing.

Market demand. Select a variety that has a higher demand. Also, check on your target market.

  •          Grow Hass for export markets
  •          Fuerte for processing and local market mostly
  •          Puebla and Kienyeji for local market

Disease resistance. Plant a variety with a high pest and disease resistance capability.

Yield and productivity. Choose a variety with higher productivity for more returns.

Harvesting period. Get a variety that matures early.

Fruit features. You need a more resilient variety.

Best Avocado Varieties To Grow in Kenya

Choosing a variety is not easy. First, you need to select the right one, and next, you need to buy from a reputable nursery. But what are the top varieties?

Hass avocado

The Hass avocado variety has gained a lot of popularity in the export markets. It is a fast-growing tree whose fruits are in high demand locally and internationally. Currently, Kenya exports avocados to Europe, China, Mauritius, and Asia. But are you aware that there are different varieties? Well, here they are.

  •          Giant Hass Avocado Variety
  •          Original or Pure Hass Avocado Variety
  •          Golden Hass Avocado Variety
  •          Pinkerton Hass Avocado Variety

Fuerte

This is a fruit that is way bigger than the Hass variety and does not change color when it matures. Fuerte is mostly used for processing purposes and tends toward alternate bearings. The fruits mature in 6 to 8 months after flowering.

Puebla Avocados

The fruits are early maturing, with a round shape, deep maroon-purple color, a smooth glossy feel, and a rich butter taste. They are mostly sold locally.

Nabal Avocado

The Nabal variety is a unique one. It's characterized by its large size and round shape, with smooth, glossy green skin.

The tree always grows upright, and the fruits mature in 8 to 9 months after blossoming. Nabal avocados have a rich oil content.

Pinkerton Variety

Are you looking for a variety that is more spreadable than Hass? Pinkerton is an early-maturing variety that fits well for both the local and export markets. It produces heavily, bearing about 800 to 1000 fruits per year.

The fruits have a high oil content and ripen late in the season. They are smooth and have a bright green skin.

Other Varieties

Other varieties that you can grow are G6, G7, Ettinger, Jumbo, and Tonnage. Puebla, G6, G7, Fuertem, and Duke are used as rootstocks.

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