Soursop has a ready market

The soursop fruit has an inner cream coloured, fragrant, juicy, and an edible pulp.
The fruit is commonly known as “Ekitafeli” in Luganda, but thought to have different other names depending on the location.
It is not a common plant and those that grow it only do at a subsistence level yet there is a ready market at both local and international market.

Opwonya earns big
John Bosco Opwonya is a soursop farmer, who sells the fruits to several traders in major markets.
“Some of the fruits are ripe, others are not, but I will be harvesting in the next few days,” says Opwonya, the owner of the farm located in Apac District.

He has since eliminated the middlemen by directly transporting the fruits to major towns such as Luweero, Jinja, Entebbe and Kampala.
Every Friday, Opwonya has to endure the cold night at the back of a lorry from Apac to Nakasero market in Kampala so as to sell his fruits by 5am to other traders. He has been growing soursop since 2006 after switching from oranges.

“I shifted to soursop after realising I was earning little from oranges. I cannot regret having moved since some of my colleagues who stuck to oranges are facing numerous challenges that have made the industry lose its lustre,” says Opwonya.
“I grow these fruits and when I’m harvesting and loading them during the day, I do not count. I only count the money I have made after they are sold out, which sometimes is more than Shs5m,” says Opwonya.

The market
Although there may be chance for the exportation, soursop is a relatively rare fruit in Uganda and this makes its prices a little hyped compared to other fruits on the market.
The local market is also hungry for the fruit and is sold through retail as individual fruit. In Nakasero and other local markets, the soursop fruit costs about Shs3,000 to Shs15,000.

“I sell three basketfuls of soursop. My customers are majorly young ladies and Asians,” says Florence Nakandi who vends the product along near Mega Standard Supermarket next to Old Taxi Park in Kampala. Nakandi says she gets her supply from farmers especially Opwonya. “The best soursop comes from northern Uganda. Each basket at wholesale is sold at Shs20,000,” explains Musa Musisi a trader at Nakasero market.
Dickson Mubangizi, a farmer from Kayunga District sells the soursop at Kireka farmer’s market. Like Opwonya, Mubangizi transports the fruits on a lorry.

“I prefer moving in the night and by 2am I am at Kireka market,” he says.
Praise Ayamba, of Ray Juices produces both hibiscus and soursop juice. According to Ayamba, she sells five cartons of soursop juice per week. Each carton containing 12 bottles goes for Shs50,000. “Soursop juice is an ideal fruit to consume daily because of its nutritional value and its multiple medicinal and curative benefits,” says Ayamba.

Health benefits
Soursop fruit also known as graviola, custard apple, or Brazilian pawpaw is one of the most recommended fruit as cancer curer, worldwide. According to Jamiru Mpiima, a dietician at Victoria Wellness clinic, all the parts of the soursop tree are medicinal and has recently gained attention and popularity due to its natural cancer cell killing properties in both the fruit and the leaves. The fruit has anti-inflammatory properties and rich in a class of highly potent chemotherapeutic compounds. Once the cancer is detected while it is at stage one (early), taking the fruit as well as its boiled leaves daily may help cure some cancers such as breast, liver and prostate cancers.

The anti-cancer properties in the fruit target cancerous and other malignant cells for destruction while leaving healthy cells intact. Soursop fruit is an immune booster with a number of phytonutrients and antioxidants that are highly effective at destroying cancer cells and warding off chronic disease and boasting immunity. It is rich in calcium, vitamins B and C, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. “The nutrients help to boast the body’s immunity to fight infections,” he says.