Agriculture,
Having farmed pumpkins at his farm in Kigetuini, Murang’a for over a decade, Joe Irungu says the venture has proven to be a lucrative income earner.
Before turning to pumpkin farming, Irungu had dealt with herbal medicine where he faced many challenges forcing him to find an alternative source of income. When he decided to venture into agriculture, he tried conventional crops such as maize, tomatoes and vegetables but got frustrated due to their high cost of production and poor returns.
Speaking to KNA, Irungu narrated how he found the inspiration to grow pumpkins during one of his visits to Uganda after he came across a farmer who had planted pumpkins in his farm, and he got interested in pumpkin farming.
“I took a few lessons from the farmer and decided to try my luck back home.” He said. He brought seeds of the Israel giant pumpkin which he says is the best variety for commercial farming and he planted the seeds on his quarter acre piece of land adding the results were impressive as he got a bountiful harvest.
“The high returns gave me the motivation to carry on with farming and this has helped me improve my livelihood.” He said. According to Irungu, pumpkins are fast growing as they only take three months to mature which means one can plant up to three times a year.
“One thing I like about the pumpkins is they grow very fast and this means a farmer can be able to earn a living from selling the produce.” said Irungu.
Photo of pumpkins at Joe Irungu’s farm at Kigetuini in Murang’a.
The farmer noted that the pumpkins require little maintenance except during the cold seasons when they are sprayed so that they do not get affected by the frost adding that insect traps are also required in the farm to catch the pests which might destroy the crop especially at the flowering stage.
The Israel giant, he says, is a high yielding variety as it grows big and one piece can weigh up to 50 kilograms which gives a higher return. “A kilogram of pumpkin goes for Sh.20 therefore a single piece of this variety can fetch up to Sh1000” he noted.
Irungu, he has gone an extra mile by also venturing into value addition of the pumpkin having established a small processing factory where produces pumpkin flour which he sells locally with the intent to fetch more money from his farming. To sustain the flour production, Irungu has engaged farmers from within Murang’a and the neighboring counties to supply him with pumpkins for processing.
“I work with farmers from Kirinyaga, Nyeri and Embu who have been supplying me with the pumpkins for processing and this is a good venture for them as well.” he remarked. He explained that after harvesting, the pumpkins are cut into small chips that are then dried and later processed into flour.
“Pure pumpkin flour is quite expensive as a kilo goes for Sh. 1000 so we have been making blended flour by mixing pumpkin with products such as cassava, arrowroots, and bananas to make it affordable.” He added. He observed that although pumpkins are highly nutritious, many people don’t eat them as they have always been perceived as food for small children or the poor.
He however says the consumers are warming up to the flour as they are able to make various products out of it. “With the flour, people can make various products like cakes, breads, biscuits, chapatti, pancakes and many more” he remarked.
“Our flour is of high quality because it is not only meant for the local market but also the international consumers.” he added. Irungu encourages more farmers to venture into pumpkin farming as it has good returns and there is a ready market for their produce.