Dragon fruit: the cactus crop paying off where little else grows in Kenya
A Meru engineer once called "a mad man" by his neighbours harvests about five tonnes an acre and sells fruit for up to Sh1,000 each. Researchers say the crop needs little water or labour.
Meru — When Anthony Mugambi began planting cactus vines on his land in Kathura village, Meru County, his neighbours called him "a mad man". Six years later his critics have become supporters, The Standard reports. Mugambi grows dragon fruit, a climbing cactus from the Americas, on 20 acres, and says it pays back the investment handsomely.
The numbers on his farm
- 15 acres are bearing fruit and five more are not yet mature.
- He harvests about 5 tonnes an acre, roughly 75 tonnes in a season.
- Fruits sell for Sh200 to Sh1,000 each depending on the season, or Sh500 a kilogram to bulk buyers. He supplies supermarkets, hotels and individual customers.
A crop for dry land
Dragon fruit came to Kenya in 2015, when Dr Freddie Acosta of Strathmore University imported seeds and cuttings; commercial growing began around 2019. Plants grown from cuttings fruit in about 18 months to two years.
Faith Mucunu, a research scientist at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization's horticulture institute, says the crop needs less labour, weeding, pest control and water than most, and can grow on land where other crops fail. KALRO's centre at Kandara in Murang'a County sells affordable seedlings and trains farmers. Dr Everlyn Okoth of JKUAT says the fruit is rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre. Large parts of Kenya's semi-arid land now lie fallow.
Source: The Standard, reporting by James Omoro, 16 October 2026.
