While agribusiness in
Kenya is on a fast growth, the following crops have an even greater advantage in 2021:
1. Passion fruit
If you are looking for a high-value crop that can produce an
income in the first year, take a look at passion fruit farming. Passion fruit
farming has nearly unlimited advantages from extended life span exceeding
three years after establishment to ability to intercrop.
While the capital needed to start a good size of passion fruit farm is not very low, the benefits and profit are worth every investment you make. Demand for passion fruits has continued to rise in 2020, especially with the coming of Covid 19 which has made people want to eat more healthy foods, moreso fruits.
In the wake of health awareness, companies like
Coca-cola, Afia juices and Del-Monte are also doing more in fruit juice production. Some of them are already sourcing various fruits from
farmers to tap fresh fruits processing segments. Despite all the interest by
fresh drink processors, the supply of this fruit has been low this year. This presents an
opportunity for you as a farmer.
The crop produces high yields
under proper care, for instance, a yield of 50,000kg of passion fruit per
hectare has been reported in Kenya. The average price of one kilo of passion
fruits is Sh50 in various market centres in the country. However, you can still
sell at a higher price through direct marketing. From one hectare, it’s
possible to earn over Sh2,000,000; an earning that exceeds many other farming
enterprises.
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Furthermore, the maturity and
ripening of the fruits, does not happen at the same time; some take three days
others one week while others two weeks. This is an advantage, as it will allow
you to harvest weekly, and have time to market the produce. Starting as a small
grower you will find lots of eager buyers at your neighbourhoods and
supermarkets.
2.
Strawberries
The demand for strawberries is
bursting at the seams and the supply is low. This is because of the strawberry
flavour that is used in the production of yoghurt, ice-creams, jams and in perfumes. Companies that use
these fruits in Kenya are relying on imports. This is sufficient justification why
strawberry farming is and will remain lucrative agribusiness in the years to
come. Strawberries can grow in almost every part of our country provided there
is constant water supply and stable temperature.
A one eighth of an acre would be
adequate for a beginner but if you are in an urban setting you can invest in a
few containers (which you can then put in your backyard) and start farming. It
takes about 70 days for the crop to mature and produce the first fruits. But
because the fruits are highly perishable (stays fresh for four to five days
after harvesting), it is advisable to start looking for market early enough to
avoid incurring losses.
An eighth piece of land can
produce between 30kg and 50kg of strawberries per week and each kilo goes for
about Sh200 at the current wholesale market price. Now assuming your small farm produces
50Kgs per week then that means you can make Sh40,000 per month using only a
small portion of your land.
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Once you plant them, 70 days down
the line you will get your first harvest. This will continue for up to three
years with two to three harvesting seasons every year. Like any other business
with attractive returns, strawberry farming in Kenya requires capital. Chandler
is the most popular variety. Strawberries are runners, so once you plant, you
do not need to buy other seedlings as you can propagate them by removing the
splits from the parent plant.
You don’t have to be an
agriculture expert to succeed in strawberry farming. All you need to do is find
a good piece of land. Then you need to source for the right seedlings – and
this is where you need to contact Richfarm Kenya on 0724698357 for assistance. Alternatively, you can talk to other
successful farmers in your area for assistance in sourcing for the right
variety.
3.
Mushrooms
Mushroom production of late has
captured the attention of the Kenya’s farming community with most mushroom
farmers boasting amazing profits. Mushroom are land and rainfall independent
hence making them the better option for those looking to maximise revenue from
their land usage. For those without space to garden, growing mushrooms for
profit can produce a great return in a small space.
Exotic mushrooms, such as oyster
and shiitake, make sense, as they can be grown indoors without soil. They only
require a house and your attention. Mud thatched houses can create the right
climate for mushroom growing. The demand in Kenya is unsatisfied with data
indicating that we are only producing 500 tonnes of these mushrooms against an
annual demand of 1,200 tonnes.
Mushrooms can be grown using various substrates from agricultural
wastes such as cereal straws such as maize stalks, bean stalk, wheat straw
Coffee pulp, coffee husks, paper waste, papyrus, water hyacinth, banana fronds
etc. Cotton husks, maize cobs, banana leaves, papyrus, grass straw, paper
wastes, sugarcane bagasse and hay. Spawns ‘seeds’ can now be easily obtained from
Richfarm Kenya.
Oyster mushrooms, for example, produce around 10kg per square foot
of growing space in a year’s time. At the current price of Sh400 a kilo, that’s
Sh400,000 worth of mushrooms from a 10’x10′ space! Exotic mushrooms do not
travel well, so as a small local grower you will always have an edge over
distant producers. In most supermarkets, the oyster mushrooms are also the
first items to sell out.
You can see more details about mushroom the mushroom market and profitability in kenya in this article: How Profitable is Mushroom farming in Kenya: Costs and market analysis.
Before, mushroom farming has been a very complicated venture
requiring lots of chemistry, biology and attention. So many people were discouraged by this but not now, Richfarm Kenya has simplified it so much that anyone can do it. There are training sessions every week and starters can even buy already prepared and seeded mushroom production bags such that they are in production in less that 1 month.
You can read more on this in the article Mushroom Farming In Kenya 2021: How You Can Make Money Throughout The Year.
4. Onions
Although onion prices reached the lowest in 2020 with a kg selling for as low as Ksh20 at the farm gate, this is a crop that is still worth a shot at. It is not so much of a goldmine as it was in previous years but my prediction is that there is going to be an abnormal rise in onion prices very soon since so many farmers abandoned the crop when the prices went low and remained so for a long time.
Done well, 1 acre of onions should yield 20,000 kgs or more. If you sell the crop at Ksh20 per kg, your revenue will be Ksh400,000 in just 5 months. The cost of production usually goes to an average of Ksh120,000 per acre so you are still making profits. The kill will be when these prices start going up, most likely in early 2021, something that seems sure to happen. Can you imagine how much you will earn if you harvest your 20 tons when the price are at 80 per kg! That is not a far dream; the prices have many times been on such a high.
5. Pawpaws
This is a crop that few farmers know about and that is where the
opportunity lies. It is a tree that is quite resistant to dry conditions and
hardy to pests and diseases. Once planted and well established, just a little
care will be required from time to time.
There are various varieties of pawpaw and now we even have the
dwarfs which start producing fruits from the ninth month. With a line spacing
of 2 m and tree-to-tree spacing of 2m, one acre can carry 1100 trees. Each
of these trees produces 40 to 50 kg of fruit every year giving you about 40 to
50 tons of fruit per acre every year. With a kg selling at an average of
sh.30, you can easily make 1.2 to 1.5 million shillings from an acre of
pawpaw every year.
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The initial cost of planting an acre of pawpaw is low since each
seedling can be bought at an average of 50 shillings meaning you will only need
55,000 shillings to buy seedlings for one acre. The rest is labour and a bit of
fertilization. The cost would hardly exceed 100,000 shillings.
To become successful in agribusiness, information is the most important asset. We have done our best to collect our experiences and put them in downloadable PDF guides. You can now download comprehensive farming guides of these various crops for FREE from our Resources Page.
If you need more assistance, do not hesitate to call us directly on 0724698357 or email us on info@richfarmkenya.com
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