market

: 24 March 2017; Hits: 16105

Baby corn best for short season rains

Baby corn maize at a growing field. Insert is mature harvested baby corn. Photo by Agrifarming.in.

Farmers growing baby corn have a chance to feed the growing local and international market with through the year as the crop is more tolerant to drought.

The maturity of between 45 and 60 days makes the crop an appropriate domestic consumption and income generating solution.

The corn is harvested and consumed whole. In the village market, the crop earns about Sh100 per kilo while supermarkets like Nakumatt offering up to Sh200 for the same quantity according to Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The quick maturity characteristic makes it a perfect crop for short rains areas, where one can harvest close to two tonnes per acre during suppressed showers. With irrigation, the crop can yield between 10 and 12 tonnes per acre.

One kilo of dried maize fetches about Sh60 in Nairobi now.

Normal maize required between four to eight months to mature, depending on the variety and region. That means one can harvest trice or four times from baby corn in an ordinary maize season.

The stalks are also a quick source of fodder for livestock given that the variety matures in less than two months.

Its low fat but high potassium content makes it popular nutritional food among the health conscious market.

Other than local consumption, the corn is exported to the European Union and other international markets by companies like Kenya Fresh.

The Reuters foundation approximates the growth of farmers in the corn to have grown from 100 to 1,000 since adoption.

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: 20 March 2017; Hits: 12050

Mombasa paying highest for groundnuts

Farmer selecting groundnut pods. Mombasa is paying more money for groundnuts than other town in Kenya. Photo by Farm Radio International.

Groundnuts traders in Mombasa are making close to 20 per cent more income than their counterparts in Nairobi as food consumers continue paying more as a result of the prolonged drought.

The rise in price of commodities has been on the rise from October 2016, since most agro-producers in Kenya rely on rain.

A 110kg bag of groundnuts is costing Sh16,500 at the Kongowea Market, Mombasa. The same quantity is fetching Sh13,800 in Nairobi, according to Soko+, an online market price source.

The difference in cost in Nairobi and Mombasa is Sh2,540.

Lamu County’s Mpeketoni, which is one of the main regions supplying groundnuts to Mombasa and other Coastal regions, has been hard hit by drought for more than seven months.

“Groundnuts are coming in from other parts of the country. Those supplying from Lamu County are doing so from stores, not fresh harvests as it has been. Shrunk supplies are causing a hike in prices,” Eric Masang’a, a cereal trader at Changamwe said.

Groundnuts, like other beans take between three and four months to mature, require plenty of rain almost through thegrowing production period for high results. The farmers in Mpeketoni rely on rain for the production, according to James Moruri, a farmer from the county.

Moruri said those who grew the nuts after August 2016 harvested nothing as it has never rained since July.

Surprisingly, the cost of the nuts in Malindi, which is about 115km away from Mombasa, and nearer to Lamu, is Sh12,500.

The nuts cost Sh12,000, Sh12,600 and Sh14,000 in Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru respectively.

Transporting a 100kg bag of cereals can cost about Sh200.

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: 17 March 2017; Hits: 7816

App alerts buyers of prospected harvest

Nyeri County farmers shows off his organically produced onions. Farmers can notify the market of expected produce via an an app. Photo courtesy.

In avoiding marketing challenges after production, farmers can alert prospective produce buyers in advance through a recently launched mobile app.

Farm Zee App, which is currently running in Tanzania and Zimbabwe, allow for farmers to use Internet enabled and short message service( SMS) to upload expected harvest from given piece of land.

Farm Zee managers aggregate and classify the products into the respective categories, which the buyers select and place and order for the produce.

“Looking for the market in advance is helpful for the farmer and the buyer in planning. Producing without knowing where to sell is the first step into losses. The app allows for farmers and possible buyers to plan well in advance,” the Msasa Mnyalape, the head of Farm Zee marketing team said.

About 40 per cent of food losses in developing countries, including Kenya, happen after harvesting, according to consistent studies by the Food Agriculture Organisation.

Farmers incur losses when the market is flooded, and they do not have specific people to buy their goods.

But with the new app, farmers who do not have Internet-enabled devices can send an SMS for profiling.

But those with the internet share the progress of their produce via photos to attract more buyers.

The owner of the app earns a 2.5 per cent from the sales.

“Farmers and buyers do not incur any costs until the deal is done. That is when Farm Zee gets its share of offering the platform for excahnge,” he said.

The difference between the marketplace app and common middlemen - who exploit farmers - is the non-influence on the price of the goods. The buyer and seller discuss the prices and agree on their own.

Tomatoes, onions, green pepper, kales, spinach and cabbage have been among the major items traded over the three months the marketplace has been running.

In Tanzania, more than 2,000 farmers are using the app while 4,000 others are from Zimbabwe. Mnyalape said plans are underway to roll it out in Kenya.

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