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    A farmer who found money in guinea fowl he was rearing as flower-birds is plunging in full swing into poultry agribusiness after earning more than Sh100,000 in a few months.

    Allan Mwangi says many people have been coming-more than four months after exhausting his stock-with more others calling to make orders.

    From the 10 guinea fowls he bought in 2014 to rear as beauty birds, he managed to increase them to 64, hence the call to destock.

     “I am so excited by the money I made out of the birds I bought as pets. I sold 44 birds, with a pair selling at Sh5,000. More other customers are going away with money. I have learnt that there is a lot of money hidden in the feathers of these pets,” he say.

    In total, he earned Sh110,000.

    Mwangi retained 20 guinea fowls, which he intends to use as breeders to raise the stock to 200 or more.

    READ ALSO: Ducks hatching for guinea fowl more profitable 

    He has already bought five turkeys, besides kuroiler chickens which he has been breeding. He is also eying ostriches, for which he would need a Kenya Wildlife license similar to that of the fowls.

    For one to rear game animals, they must obtain a permit from the KWS.

     “I have done my research well. High end-hotels are salivating for game meat. Since the supply is low, therefore, penetrating this market would be easy. It would give me an extra coin besides my formal employment,” he said

    Out of the initial stock he got 12 or 13 eggs per week, although incubation let him down with only seven or eight successful hatching. At the end he had 54 keens in three months.

    He sells kuroiler chicks at Sh100.

    He can be reached on +254722539335

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    Butterfly rearing can earn a farmer more than Sh70,000 in a month as demand for the insects int the export market remains high as well as local tourism.

    Europe and USA have been the main export destinations for pupae and butterfly from Kenya.

    Butterflies cost about Sh70 while pupae earn farmers Sh30.

    Pupae are at transitional growth stages of the butterfly between hatched larvae and an adult. Depending on the species of a butterfly, the insects live for about one month within which an individual can lay up to 1,000 eggs.

    A farmer who raises such hatched larvae to maturity within the next one month they can earn Sh70,000.

    Mombasa-based Kipepeo Project buys the butterflies for export. Besides being an Arabuko Sokoke Forest conservation plan, more than 100,000 farmers are benefiting directly from the project.

    In other places like the National Museums of Kenya, they are a local and international tourist attraction pets.

    Richard Bennet of Kilifi County’s Mida Butterfly Farm says more farmers from various parts of the country could provide consistent market if they delved into this farming.

    For one success in rearing these insects, they need to go for training at the National Museums Kenya.

    A farmer starts by catching a few female butterflies which will be confined in a special room where they will lay eggs for hatching.Once the breeding place is set up the butterflies are introduced and they will lay eggs before they hatch into larvae.

    Larvae moult into pupae, which can be exported in that stage or be left to mature to the butterfly stage for a higher cash fetch.

    Just like rearing ostriches, snails and other games, one must obtain a license from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

    The Kilifi County families are in 27 groups supporting the forest ecosystem which stretches into the Gede Ruins museums.

    After buying the insects, Kipepeo Project exports them to Japan, UK, USA, among others, accompanied by a KWS permit.

    A Kenyan tourists to Mombasa Butterfly House will pay Sh100 to enjoy the flying scenery while a child will part with Sh50. East African residents pay double that of their Kenyan counterparts.

    Adult foreigners pay Sh500 while their children will part with half the amount.

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    The high demand and low supply for tomatoes especially at the Kenyan Coast where a single tomato is now selling for Sh10-15, almost four times  the normal price has created a ripe market for tomato farmers in Kenya who have previously recorded huge losses due to lack of a ready market.

    According to Peter Nyagah, the chairperson of Kongowea Market, the largest open air market in Mombasa, most retailers are sourcing their tomatoes from Tanzania at between Sh7600-8500 per 64kg and 80kg boxes respectively. A kilo of grade one tomatoes in the region normally trade for Sh50-60 but currently the same is trading for Sh120-130.

    READ ALSO: Subukia trashing tomatoes due to lack of ready market

     In other parts of Mombasa, families are forced to strike tomatoes out of their food menus due to the scarcity with those residing closer to the city parting with a whopping Sh15 per tomato fruit as confirmed by a Savoy Estate resident Gilbert Mundia.

    The Nafis Commodity and Inputs Exchange (NACIE) indicates similar situation in other parts of the country. In Nairobi for instance, 64kg box of the commodity in wholesale markets is now going for an average of $68 which is approximately Sh6800, up from Sh4500 early in the year. At Wakulima and Muthurwa markets on the outskirts of the city centre, traders complained of not only low supply but also poor quality of tomatoes, majority of them are affected by diseases.

     

    Hot climatic condition experienced in the country since the beginning of the year is blamed for the tomato scarcity in the Kenyan market with experts predicting even a more severe shortage in the next four months.

    According to Wilson Bett, a retired agronomist, diseases like early blight spreads easily in hot climates while pests like aphids reproduce more during dry season. He explained that hostile weather, pests and diseases will affect more tomatoes in the open field, hence crushing the production further.

    READ ALSO: Farmers fighting Tuta Absoluta with sex traps

    However, various seed companies have developed drought resistant hybrid varieties like the Beef-master which is FNASt resistant and matures in 80 days. Others include Early Girl and Celebrity varieties which mature in 50-52 and 60-70 days respectively. The Beef-master variety has however a higher production rate.

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