The Agro-Investment Corporation (AIC) has joined the wave of investors, small farmers and gardening enthusiasts seeking to tap into the commercial viability of the Kenyan Wambugu apple which is now bearing fruit in Jamaica.

AIC CEO Vivian Scully, in a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer, said that his agency’s involvement in the initiative is not about taking over, but rather about forming a fruitful partnership with the apple’s key ambassadors — Kenyan agripreneur Catherine “Kate” Wambugu and local organic farmer Latoya Panton.

“They’ve invested a great deal of time and effort into bringing this project to life. We want them to reap the rewards of that investment and so we’re committed to supporting in any way we can,” Scully said. “It’s about time Jamaica started growing apples that don’t cost us a fortune. We’ve spent so much on imports but now we have a variety that, as the
Observer puts it, can truly ‘take root in Jamaica’.”

With Jamaica importing over 1.4 million kilograms of apples last year costing more than $260 million or roughly a billion dollars in the last five year, the AIC head believes that the potential for local cultivation is clear.

“Just doing the math on it, if we have 12 acres of land in Jamaica under cultivation, we could easily supply the current demand for apples for a year, that’s factoring the 3-5 year time frame that it requires to reach maturity,” he further explained, following the inaugural training session hosted by Kenya’s apple ambassador at Ebony Agro Park in Clarendon last Thursday.

Agro-Invest plans to make an initial purchase of over 100 seedlings, which will be distributed across several agro-parks to interested farmers as part of the agency’s entry into the project.

As a State-led agribusiness development agency, AIC’s broader mandate is to mobilise funding and forge partnerships with the private sector, leveraging government-owned assets to drive agricultural growth. In the first phase of plant distribution for the project, the agency said it has already identified between 70 and 80 farmers who will receive seedlings. This roll-out is being coordinated in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

“We’ve encouraged the first workshop to take place at the Ebony Agro Park which is one of five parks that we are aiming to engage the team on, as we push to have our farmers commence planting on at least one acre of land at each of the parks,” Scully said.

Indicating that the Wambugu apple is one of several strains now imported into Jamaica, he said that if as a country we can produce even 10-20 per cent of what we currently import, we will not only meet our domestic needs but also expand into regional markets through export.

Developed by Kenyan farmer Peter Wambugu (Kate’s father), the Wambugu apple is uniquely suited to tropical climates. The trees can live for more than 80 years and with proper care, each can bear up to 500 apples within five years with some producing fruit as early as nine months. Approximately 1,200 trees can be planted on a single acre of land.

Panton, speaking to the surge in demand from both private and public interest seen since the publication of a report by this newspaper about the apple’s presence in Jamaica, said she is now looking to hire support staff and to revamp her social and website pages to better manage queries and orders.

“We were already taking pre-orders before our most recent shipment came in from Kenya, those are however now almost done and we are now putting people on a waiting list as we look to bring in another shipment early next year. For person who ordered potted plants those should be ready by November,” she said, as she also shared pricing details of US$20 (according to FX rate) for a bare-root seedling (sucker) and $6,000 for a plant seedling (potted growing plant).

As Jamaica and Kenya explore deeper agricultural ties, Catherine Wambugu — currently on her first official visit to the island — said she’s optimistic about the future of the project.

“Up to this point it has just been positively overwhelming as the calls from all over Africa in countries such as Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Malawi and some others continue to come in as people congratulate me about the apple’s local success. In the next few years I’m anticipating big returns for our farmers from this commercially viable fruit. I implore more farmers to get involved with the project and instead of having bushes and weeds around your properties, let’s get to planting Wambugu apples — it’s the way to go,” she stated.

Latoya Panton (left), Wambugu Apple ambassador in Jamaica, and Fitzroy Boothe, Wambugu Apple farmer, share in a photo with Kate Wambugu during her visit to Ebony Agro Park in Clarendon.

The Wambugu apple tree can live for more than 80 years and with proper care, each can bear up to 500 apples within five years with some producing fruit as early as nine months.