Jamaica to plant American-like apples

Jamaican farmers are gearing up to grow apples that taste and look like those from the United States of America, but with a tropical twist.

The variety being introduced locally is the Wambugu apple, a crisp, juicy red fruit developed by Kenyan farmer Peter Wambugu to thrive in warmer climates.

Similar in appearance and flavour to popular American apples, the Wambugu apple offers a promising new opportunity for both consumers and farmers, expanding Jamaica's fruit production and creating potential for increased local profits.

Some 300 Wambugu apple seedlings are to be planted at agro parks in Clarendon and St Catherine. The initiative, which involves collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, aims to support import substitution of apples and to diversify the earning potential of farmers.

Alecia Brown-Forbes, manager of marketing and communications at the Agro-Investment Corporation, said that farmers have shown "tremendous interest" in the planting of the apples. She said that as many as 80 farmers will benefit from the initial distribution of seedlings.

"Those apples are being imported into Jamaica, so the aim is to have as many farmers as possible planting the trees, so that we can benefit locally from the apples," Brown-Forbes said.

"It's really to stem the amount of imports that we have been doing for that type of apple. So we definitely will try to make it our own and have as many farmers investing in it," she said.

Catherine Wambugu, Peter Wambugu's daughter, is in Jamaica to lead a hands-on training session on Wambugu apple cultivation. It takes approximately 11 months for Wambugu apple trees to start producing fruits.