Smart farms

: 18 June 2016; Hits: 17026

Value addition earns double cash for groundnuts trader

An agribusiness trader is earning twice from every one kilogramme of groundnuts by simple processing of the protein rich seeds to bread spread.

From every one kilogramme of raw groundnuts, Hanna Ichingwa earns a gross income of Sh320 after buying them at Sh160.

She abandoned groundnut farming and roasting for sale and rose above her competitors by plunging into value addition after seeing the potential in the less populated industry.

“What I was producing from the farm was not enough to sustain the orders of peanuts from the urban demand. I started buying groundnuts and processing. From two kilos of raw groundnuts, I get four milliliters,” Mrs Ichingwa said during the Kakamega County Agricultural Society of Kenya Show.

Products

She processes whole, peeled and half-peeled products for the various segments of the market. The trader first dries the groundnuts to remove moisture.

To get the best quality peanut paste, sorting them to good quality is key even before starting drying them.

“Processing wet groundnuts causes aflatoxns in the end products. I dry and check the moisture content with a detector. I also air them for hardening before channeling the seeds into the milling machine for 15 minutes. It churns out porridge like substance for packaging,” she said.

Dry groundnuts

The roasting machine can handle 24 kg at a time.

Despite using dry groundnuts, the end product is usually a semi solid paste; she adds nothing. The oil in the groundnuts is responsible for the semisolid substance.

The oil also keeps off water from the end product after packaging; no preservative is added.

She packages the unpeeled products into 250g, 400g, 800g, which she sells at Sh100, Sh145 and Sh290 at wholesale.

Peanut paste is popular

The 50 per cent peeled and the seed coatless products are sold at various higher prices more-so, to urban market.

Her husband delivers the products to the Nairobi market, where he works.

Groundnuts are gaining popularity as bread spread as well as a thickening sauce or gravy for beef, chicken, and fish meat.

The market is shying away from commercially processed margarines because of the cholesterol in fat, which is associated with health challenges like heart attacks.

Inchingwa can be reached on +254725546101

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: 17 June 2016; Hits: 25353

Rearing over 80 chickens on a two by two metres space

Chicken farmers can now raise more than 80 birds on a space of about two by two metres, following the innovation of a cage that utilises both air and land surface.

Silas Juma, of Enkoho Kuku Farmers, said that the chicken cage, which costs Sh35,000 can hold up to 88 mature chickens.

The cage is six feet in length, five feet in width and six feet in height.

“Land maximisation is the heart of agribusiness. Innovation allows for proper utilisation of both land and air. That was the reason our company came up with decks,” Juma said.

The cage has a broad base, which is tapering towards the top to form an inverted ‘V’ shape, which has flat top.

No droppings on others

Speaking during the 2016 Kakamega Agricultural Show, Juma said that the slanting helps position the birds on top to be slightly behind those on the lower side. This ensures droppings from those above do not fall on the lower ones.

A polythene sheet can be placed in the space between the left and right wings to collect droppings, which can then also be used for manure.

The cage has 88 compartments which are partitioned to accommodate one bid at a time.

“A card board is placed on the wire mesh wall separating one chicken from the next," Juma added. "Chickens are shy. They need privacy when laying eggs,” he said.

After the egg is laid, it rolls onto to a spongy cushioned collection point which the chicken cannot reach.

Suckling water and feeding

Running along the length of the cage is a feeding trough made out of plastic. Each chicken can access the feeds through the spacious wire mesh.

Ordinary poultry houses require sawdust to keep the room warm and dry, however, given that the cage structure is raised above the ground, dry matter is not necessary. According to Juma, another benefit of this is that the cage minimizes the chances of chickens getting diseases such as fowl pox, and parasites such as mites, all of which are prevalent in dusty areas.

The watering system has white hollow pipes running across every deck. They are connected to a common reservoir on top of the cage for continued flow.

The pips have a red teat-like watering chamber positioned facing directly into each of the 88 mini-cages.

“A bearing is placed inside the watering chamber to control release of water. When the chicken shakes the light metal rod coming out of the chamber, the bearing will move upwards, allowing for water to flow in drops. Water wastage is very minimal using this method, because it will only be released when needed,” he said.

Just like the feeds which are placed outside, the water cannot be easily contaminated as happens in most poultry houses.

The structure is movable and can be dismantled and assembled afresh. This makes it easy to move it from one place to another within or without the farm.

After placing an order, Enkoho Kuku Farmers deliver and fix the structure. The company has offices in Nairobi, and Bungoma.

Interested farmers can contact Wakoli on +254727474045

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: 13 June 2016; Hits: 38948

New Amiran Kenya and Yara fertiliser triples vegetable harvests

A field officer inspecting green house tomatoes, on which YaraMila Winner fertiliser was applied. The fertiliser triples vegetable yields. PHOTO: COURTESY.

Farmers can now triple vegetable harvests with the fast nutrient-releasing fertiliser, YaraMila Winner, recently introduced after a collaboration between two international farm inputs firms, Amiran Kenya and Yara.

Amiran Kenya agronomist Timothy Munywoki says the NPK YaraMila Winner fertiliser can be applied during planting and top dressing to accelerate strong root, leaf and fruit development after transplanting.

“YaraMila Winner is a high quality, granular nitro-phosphate product that supplies a variety of nutrients that boost proper development of the various parts of crops for wholesome results in harvesting. Farmers and our demonstration fields have posted more than double harvests after application of this product,” he said.

The fertiliser can be applied on tomato, kales, cabbage, onions, watermelons, potatoes, cucumbers, french beans, among others.

Little rain or moisture required

Whilst most granulated top dressing fertilisers require heavy rains or a lot of irrigation water to break down and release nutrients, YaraMila disintegrates with light rains or sufficient wetness.

“Light showers are enough to start the process of releasing nutrients for use by the plants. This happens within three days after application. Other granulated top dressing fertilisers can last up to one week to release nutrients,” he said.

Composition

The fast breakdown ensures that nutrients do not go to waste due to environmental factors such as the strong sun. Other fertilisers scorch or ‘burn’ crops if there is no sufficient rain to speed the disintegration process.

Nitrogen, which makes up 15 per cent of the total mineral component, is key in synthesis of food. Sufficient nitrogen boosts leaf growth and fruiting.

Phosphorus in the fertiliser ensures strong vegetative vigour especially in the roots, flowers and branches for quality and quantity fruits.

The product is packaged into 10kg, 25kg and 50kg.

Munywoki can be reached on +254719095259 or +254728853914.

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