A Worthy Investment You Should Start

Pixie orange farming is a lucrative investment that farmers are yet to tap into. Despite the rising demand, the supply of the fruit is still low. The fruits are yellow-orange in color, seedless, and juicier than the large ordinary oranges. Their market is still growing, locally and in the export markets. Lately, farmers have realized the huge opportunity in the high-value crop. Why not take advantage of the market gap and invest in the fruit?

Ecological Requirements

Although they grow in a wide range of soils, pixie oranges perform best in deep, fertile, sandy-loamy to loamy soils with a pH range of 6.5 – 7.3.

They perform well in areas with low to moderate rainfall and can be an ideal crop for arid and semi-arid regions.

Also, pixie oranges flourish in moderate temperatures ranging from 100C – 300C. The plants are highly sensitive to extreme temperatures.

Areas Grown in Kenya

Pixie oranges perform well in arid and semi-arid areas like Kitui, Makueni, Machakos, coastal regions like Voi and Taita Taveta, and Western Kenya. They also thrive in places like Murang'a and Nyeri.

Spacing and Planting

The spacing employed plays a vital role in the performance of the plans. Pixie oranges grow vigorously and have branches with large leaves. For this reason, they need adequate spacing of 4m x 5m, with an acre accommodating about 200 trees. However, the spacing may vary depending on how big the tree grows. Dwarf varieties require less spacing.

Planting holes should be 2 ft deep with a diameter of 2ft x 2ft. The topsoil should then be mixed with well-decomposed manure to enhance soil fertility. You can proceed to planting your trees.

Maturity

As a farmer, you don't want to invest in a business that takes ten years to give you the expected returns. Pixie oranges are fast-maturing plants that start bearing fruits in 2 to 3 years after planting. By the fourth year, you should be expecting a heavy harvest. However, the overall output may vary depending on various factors such as climatic conditions, soil type, and management practices employed.

Management Practices

Management practices influence the performance and productivity of your trees. First, you need to ensure that your orchard is weed-free. Also, mulch your trees to minimize the growth of weeds and water loss through evaporation.

Lightly prune your plants regularly. Also, apply fertilizers to enhance plant growth and development. However, do not over-fertilize your plants.

Why You Should Do Pixie Orange Farming

As a farmer, you need a crop with a high turnover and low management costs. Pixie orange farming is a highly profitable agribusiness that can easily give you a turnover of up to Kshs 1.2 million per year. The farm gate prices stand at Kshs 80 per kilo. With proper management practices put in place, a tree can produce about 60kgs per year. With an acre with 250 trees, a farmer can make a cool 1.2 million per year. Setting up an orchard is even easier. You need a starting capital of Kshs 150,000. From this capital, Kshs 100,000 will be used for purchasing seedlings, while the rest will be for manure and planting labor. The plants have a long lifespan of about 20 to 30 years. What an excellent long-term investment it can be.

At OxfarmAg, we offer certified, high-quality pixie orange seedlings at a competitive price o Kshs 250 per seedling to help you get started. Besides, we have a pixie orange farming package to help you set your orchard in the right way. Contact us today and start minting millions from pixie orchard farming.

For more information;
Nairobi region - 0769623300
Mr. Cliff
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/254769623300

Eldoret region - 0710588060
Mr. Duncan
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/254710588060

Nakuru region- 0740000044
Ms. Caroline
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/254740000044

Mt Kenya region - 0742194880
Mr. Nick
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/254742194880

Western region - 0706222888
Mr. Asman
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/254706222888