market

: 01 September 2017; Hits: 16856

Green grams and groundnuts retailing highest across Kenyan markets

Green grams or mung beans and in Kiswahili Ndengu. They are loved for their numerous health benefits including fight of breast cancer.

Farmers growing green grams and groundnuts in most parts of the country have a better chance of earning more as compared to their counterparts who grow other legumes owing to the high price of the two commodities in Kenya’s big markets like Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, etc.

Among legumes alone, groundnuts of 110kg trade at Sh11200 in Nairobi, Sh11550 in Mombasa, Sh12000 in Kisumu, Sh11000 in Nakuru, Sh11250 in Eldoret, Sh16200 in Malindi, Sh16500 in Busia while green grams of 90kg sells at Sh8300 in Nairobi, Sh6750 in Mombasa, Sh8800 in Kisumu, Sh7600 in Nakuru, Sh11700 in Eldoret, Sh9300 in Malindi and Sh9000 in Busia according to National Farmers Information Service (NAFIS).

This is slightly higher as compared to other legumes across the country as in the table below:

Commodity Weight (KG) Nairobi Mombasa Kisumu Nakuru Edroret Busia
Cow Peas 90 8100 6750 8800 8100 7650 9000
Fresh Peas 51 2400 2500 2700 2500 2550 3500
Beans Rosecoco 90 7200 7000 7200 5500 9000 8100
Beans Canadian 90 7650 8800 8000 5000 8000 7650
Beans Mwitemania 90 6800 7800 5000 7920

Though Dolichos (Njahi) is also doing well in terms of price among legumes even more than green grams, it is not present in most of the Kenyan markets. A 90kg of this legume trade at Sh9800 in Nairobi, Sh8100 in Mombasa, and Sh13500 in Eldoret. Its price is more than the price of green grams in the same markets.

Groundnuts (Njugu Karanga-Swahili) are mainly grown in western Kenya by small scale farmers both for food and sale.
These areas have a tropical climate suitable for farming. There are two main varieties of groundnuts in Kenya namely the runner type and the bunch type (Red Valencia).

Bunch varieties are small, tastier and a highly marketable variety. It matures in 60 – 75 days.

The runner is the larger variety and is preferred because of the high yields, it matures in 90 – 100 days.

Green grams on the other hand mature in 60 to 90 days. The early maturing varieties can often produce before drought destroys many bean species. Two varieties can be distinguished in Kenya. They are "KVR 22" ("N 22") and "KVR 26" (N 26).

Write comment (0 Comments)

: 30 August 2017; Hits: 35775

Farmers growing Sesame (simsim) have a wide range of benefits

Farm of Sesame plants. Sesame is better crop rotation of cotton, maize, groundnut, wheat, and sorghum besides reducing nematode populations that attack cotton and groundnut.

With the rise of unpredictable rainfall, pests and diseases in most parts of the country, farmers who grow sesame famously known as simsim or ufuta in local languages stand high chances of avoiding losses which come with inadequate rainfall and pests’ invasion.

Sesame which originates in East Africa is the oldest commercial oil seeds with an oil content of 48-55% which is the highest of any oil crop while the protein content ranges from 44 to 48% according to Infonet-Biovision organization which provides agricultural database with scientific and practical validated information and knowledge.

Good harvests of sesame can be expected during rainfall of 300-600mm given the plant is highly susceptible to water-logging, and can therefore only thrive during moderate rainfall. It is also highly resistant to drought and can provide good harvests, when soil moisture is adequate.

READ ALSO: Farmer beats drought with simsim

The crop which takes only 120-140 days to mature also do well in a well-drained sandy soil with a pH value between 5.4 and 6.75.

Sesame requires a temperature of between 26-30degC to blossom making it well adapted to the East Africa’s warm climate.

In Kenya for instance Sesame can be grown in Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu districts along the coast, Busia, Bungoma and Kakamega in Western region and Meru, Mandera in Eastern and North Eastern regions respectively.

Andrew Nyatangi a farmer in Lamu County who plants sesame twice a year says the crop only needs light showers rainfall to grow making it a perfect agribusiness venture against maize and beans during short rain seasons.

David Ndirangu, a farmer from Mpeketoni in the same county who at some time incurred huge losses when he planted maize and other crops due to inadequate rainfall, joins a list of farmers who makes over Sh25, 000 per season from simsim farming.

Ardhi Industries in Karen, Nairobi which presses 150 kilograms of sesame seeds a day buys one kilogram of sesame at Sh750 - 850.

“In Nairobi the cost of sesame seeds is expensive because only a few farmers grow the crop in small scale for family consumption,” said Christopher Kabiru, founder and director of Ardhi Industries.

Farmers who grow cotton, maize, groundnut, wheat, and sorghum should think sesame because it is better crop rotation besides reducing nematode populations that attack cotton and groundnut.

Sesame hay, if carefully dried, can be used as fodder for the livestock.

KS-S6 variety of sesame gives an average yield of 2.5-3.0 tons per acre and has a high poding ability making it tolerant to rust and shootfly.

Write comment (0 Comments)

: 30 August 2017; Hits: 9321

Youths encouraged to embrace self-employment by strawberry farming

Strawberry fruits.Strawberry farming has become increasingly popular in the recent past in Kenyan rural and peri-urban areas.

Mitahato Education and Development Fund (MEDF), a dedicated organization to nurture the roots of change in rural Kenya is assisting the youths through training and financial support to grow and produce strawberry fruits for sell as a source of income even as unemployment among the group remains a big challenge.

MEDF has for the last two years supported over 40 youths to start strawberry farming which is a new venture in Ngewa, Githunguri, Kiambu County. This cost the organization about half a million.

“At the beginning we found strawberry farming idea difficult to sell among the youths given it was going to be a new crop in the area, but given our market research and support, we have seen more youths come on board,” said said Michael Kaburu, MEDF extension officer.

Currently MEDF promotes production of at least 20 varieties of horticultural crops and assesses the viability of their production and markets and evaluate their economic models in order to assist the youths make informed decisions in their agribusiness life.

“Fruits like strawberry have an insatiable market and a golden opportunity for the youth in Kenya for self-employment and livelihood improvement,” said Kaburu.

Strawberry farming has become increasingly popular in the recent past in Kenyan rural and peri-urban areas according to Agro-Environment Initiative, an agricultural organization which also encourage young energetic Kenyans who for a long time have been notably absent from agriculture activities.

Agro-Environment Initiative further states that unemployment among the youth is rampant in Kenya as in many developing countries leading to increased poverty in the rural and urban areas alike yet 75% of Kenyan population is made up of young people below 30.

Strawberry fruit plant is a high value export crop which makes a multi-billion dollar business around the world. Strawberries are very juicy health-packed fruits which are eaten whole, in fruit salads, jam, milk shake and smoothie juice.

An equally lucrative market for the strawberry plant leaves which used to be discarded is emerging as a produce in demand. The leaves are being bought by decorating and florist firms in the major towns around the country.

This has caused the demand for the strawberry leaves, an important component of bouquets due to their beautiful shape and sweet scent.

Kaburu says that strawberries are easy to grow because they require little land and perform well in a wide range of temperatures ranging from mild to hot.

The most popular strawberry varieties grown in Kenya are Chandler and pajero.

Write comment (0 Comments)