They are also used in confectionary, as salted nuts and made into butter. They have small to medium sized kernels with high oil contents and so are good for crushing for oil. Spanish types are mostly upright and are easier to pull from hard soil because the pods cluster around the tap root and they also have strong pegs.They have medium sized kernels and are used for making confectionary and butter, and also for salting. Runner types are spreading and mostly late maturing.They have large kernels and are used in confectionary, roasted and salted, or roasted in the shell. Virginia types can be either spreading or upright in growth habit and are mostly late maturing.The many different varieties of groundnut fall into four main groups: ICRISAT) to have certain desirable traits, such as high grain yield, high oil content, early maturing to cope with increased risk of drought, or resistance and tolerance to drought and important pests and diseases. The improved varieties have been developed by breeders and researchers in the national research programmes and or regional/international research institutes (e.g.

The varieties grown include traditional local ones that have been grown by smallholder farmers for many generations as well as new, improved varieties. Although early maturing varieties are more drought resistant or escape onset of drought, the later maturing varieties tend to have higher yields and larger sized seed. Varieties of groundnut take varying times to reach maturity: from early varieties, which are ready to harvest in 85-95 days after planting, to medium varieties, which are ready to harvest in 95-120 days, and late maturing varieties, which are ready from 121 days onward after planting. Varieties found in Kenya include Red Oriata, Manipinta, Makulu Red, Bukene, Homabay, Texas Peanut, Red Valencia and Atika. These vary quite widely in important characteristics such as growth habit (either bunch types which grow upright, or runner types which grow close to the ground), number of seeds per pod, colour of seed coat, seed size, time to maturity of crop, dormancy of seed after harvest, oil content and taste. Throughout Africa many different varieties of groundnut are grown. In some countries, it covers up to 60% of the area under crop production. Groundnut grows well in the arid and semi-arid tropics, does not require large amounts of inputs and fits well into rainfed crop rotations and intercrop systems. It is a member of the legume family, which also includes common bean, cowpea and soybean amongst others. In other parts of the world they are boiled, either in the shell or unshelled.ĭespite its name, groundnut, also called peanut, is not a nut. In many countries groundnuts are consumed as peanut butter or crushed and used for the groundnut oil or simply consumed as a confectionary snack roasted, salted or in sweets. Food industries, which covers farming, generated more than $80 billion in 2019.Groundnut farming is an important crop cultivated by smallholder farmers in Kenya. The state’s agricultural industry includes food industries, forestry and fiber. Ward said the younger generation taking over the farms like he did with his father is what keeps the state’s agricultural industry booming. They can withstand heavy rains like hurricanes without the risk of losing the crop,” he said. “Peanuts are able to flourish without irrigation. Ward said the peanut is the state’s most sustainable crop. The crop is then harvested and processed and sent to manufacturers or other plants to be turned into candy, peanut butter, or even ball park peanuts. Ward plants the inside of the peanut, the part we usually eat.

“Granddaddy grew a few, and then daddy grew a few, but daddy started concentrating on peanuts in 1968 to get away from tobacco,” Ward said Peanuts were added as a crop on the family’s land in the late 1960s. More than 400 million pounds of peanuts are produced each year, making the state the fifth largest producer in the country.Īt Ward Farms in Clarkton, Dan Ward carries on his family’s tradition of growing some of the state’s major crops, including peanuts. Soybean, corn and peanuts are major crops in North Carolina. in 2019įood industries, fiber, and forestry included in the agricultural industryįood industries contributes $80 billion to overall industry revenue State, farming, forestry and fiber generated more than $90 billion in 2019.Īgriculture generated more than $90 billion for state of N.C. Agriculture is North Carolina’s number one industry.

Farm together sell peanuts