Pixie fruit is a fleshy, easy to peel and highly nutritious citrus fruit. The crop has been gaining traction in Kenya with the market extending to the Eastern and Coastal region such as Machakos, Kitui and Voi. The yellow-orange fruit is often mistaken for a normal orange, but for Justus Kimeu, a large-scale pixie fruit farmer in Makueni, the rare fruits yield more profit.
"Pixie does very well in arid and semi-arid areas. Furthermore, the prices per kilogram of pixie fruits are three times higher than for oranges. When oranges are retailing at Ksh50 per kilogram, pixie retails at Ksh150 making it a highly profitable business," Kimeu told Kenyans.co.ke.
Kimeu has 6.5 acres in which he has planted pixie, tangerine, and Washington native plants. Out of these fruits, he pointed out that pixie yields the highest amount of profit. Pixie thrives in arid and semi-arid areas although it performs best in sandy soils. The plants are, however, sensitive to extremely low or high temperatures. The fruits grow well in altitudes of up to 2,100 meters above sea level.
[ Ksh100 = €0,77 ]