Feedback: How can I sell my fertiliser?

A gardener applies fertiliser to plants in a garden. Fertiliser entrepreneurs can advertise their fertiliser products in newspapers and magazines, social media, radio stations or even TV. FILE PHOTO | NMG

What you need to know:

  • The major markets for water melon are in Nairobi. You can sell them at City, Aga Khan and Kangemi markets. Alternatively, you can take them to Kongowea market in Mombasa.
  • Butter nuts have a good market locally and internationally. You can sell your butter nuts to supermarkets, local markets, hotels and traders in Nairobi and other major towns.
  • Groundnuts do well in warm areas with temperatures of 25 degrees centigrade. Such counties include Baringo, Siaya, Busia, Kakamega and Elgeyo-Marakwet.
  • Good quality seed obtained from previous year can be selected and bulked to form the seed stock.

HELP ME FIND MARKET FOR MY FERTILISER

Hello. I am an avid reader of Seeds Of Gold and appreciate your good work. Kindly advise on where I can sell my fertiliser.

Saldin Hozey

Thank you Saldin. First, you have not specified the type of fertiliser you intend to sell.

You can advertise the fertiliser in newspapers and magazines, social media, radio stations or even TV.

This will then make farmers aware of your product. Afterwards, you can make the fertiliser available in agrovets countrywide.

Carol Mutua, Egerton University

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EGERTON CONTRACTED BEAN FARMERS

Hi, I write to find out the requirements one needs to meet in order to be an Egerton University bean contracted farmer.
Daniel Kipngetich, Eldoret

Egerton University Agroscience Park Seed unit offers contract to farmers to produce certified seeds of three bean varieties.

You need to have clean field that is at least five acres and be registered with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service so as to get breeders from Egerton. For more information, get in touch with Towett 0725889689.

Prof Paul Kimurto, Egerton University

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WHERE CAN I SELL MY WATER MELONS?

Dear Experts, I am a small scale farmer from Siaya County growing water melons on a one-acre piece of land. I have never been involved with the fruits.

They are just a month away from harvesting so I am looking for a market. Where can my melons fetch the best price possible?

Jasper Omondi

The major markets for water melon are in Nairobi. You can sell them at City, Aga Khan and Kangemi markets. Alternatively, you can take them to Kongowea market in Mombasa.

Water melons also fetch a good price in hotels, supermarkets and groceries in all parts of the country. You can advertise your produce in the print and social media.

Carol Mutua, Egerton University

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I’M DISCOURAGED BY BUTTERNUT CULTIVATION

I have been growing butter nuts for a while but do not get market. What do I need to do to sell the nuts? I feel discouraged.

Langat

Butter nuts have a good market locally and internationally. You can sell your butter nuts to supermarkets, local markets, hotels and traders in Nairobi and other major towns.

A woman sorts butternuts in a market. The nuts have a good market locally and internationally. FILE PHOTO | NMG

You can also look for avenues to export your butter nuts.

Carol Mutua, Egerton University

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ARE WORMS TO BLAME FOR ‘NDUMA’ DISEASE?

I am an arrowroot farmer and an avid Seeds of Gold reader. I have a problem which I believe you can help me solve.

My arrowroots have developed some strange disease. They are rotting from the tubers upwards. Those with the disease also lose leaves.

For the ones which survive to harvesting stage, their tubers have pores. Is this a disease or are earthworms to blame? I find many earthworms in the soil when harvesting my arrowroots. I grow the arrowroots in a wet land. Please help?

Felix Musyoka, Makueni County

Worms boring into arrowroots usually leads to the rotting of the crop. The worms thrive in acidic soils. Soil acidity can be lowered by use of lime. When the acidity is low, the worms will die.

Carol Mutua, Egerton University

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I NEED ADVICE ON AGRIBUSINESS

I am a Taita-Taveta County resident and have an interest in agribusiness. Provide me with ideas please.
Jerry

Thanks Jerry for your interest in agribusiness. You can plant tomatoes, onions, water melons, mango, oranges, papaya , maize, kales, cabbage, amaranthus, spider plant, cow peas, sweet pepper, sweet potato, nightshade and many other crops.

Carol Mutua, Egerton University

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LOOKING FOR NEW ARROWROOT VARIETY

You once wrote an on a fast maturing and high yielding arrowroot variety that can be grown using the uplands technology. I have been looking for the tubers to try it out in vain. How can I get them?

Kaigwa Waiharo

The arrowroot variety that can be grown on low moisture is available. It does not need wetlands to grow and produce large tubers. Please get in touch with Egerton University Crop Science Department.

Prof Paul Kimurto, Egerton university

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VITAL INFORMATION ON GROUNDNUTS

I would like to have information on groundnuts farming. Please, base the information on seeds, ecological conditions, soil type, planting, fertiliser, irrigation, harvesting and value-addition.

Sirari

Groundnuts do well in warm areas with temperatures of 25 degrees centigrade. Such counties include Baringo, Siaya, Busia, Kakamega and Elgeyo-Marakwet. The soil should be well drained and light coloured.

A woman weeds cultivated groundnuts. Groundnut growing is one of the most profitable enterprises in Kenya. FILE PHOTO | NMG

It should be with either sand, loamy sand or sandy loam texture for easy of pegging (after flowering for seed to develop in soil), and harvesting.

The farmers should practise rotation with cereals like maize and millet to reduce the build-up of leafy spots diseases and rossete virus.

Groundnuts need about 25 to 50kgs of DAP and 23-23-S fertiliser.

They also make effective use of residual fertiliser left over in the previous year. Avoid stubbles/crop residence from previous season.

If decomposed, crop residents promote slerorotium roots (stem rot). Depending on seed mass, 100 to 150kg seed per hectare is generally required to maintain optimum plant population.

Good quality seed obtained from previous year can be selected and bulked to form the seed stock.

Certified seed is purchased at regular interval, preferably three to four years to maintain variety purity and yield.

Pods should be shelled a week before sowing if but should not be kept for long as it could lose viability.

It will also be vulnerable to storage pests. Seed treatment is recommended with Thiram or any insecticide to avoid fungal disease and attack by insect pests while germinating.

The chemicals include captain (1.5gm) + thrain (1.5)kg -1 seed or carbendarium 2.0 g kg -1 seed or mancob 2.0gm -1 seed for sucking pests and chloripyriphos 20EC 12.5 ml kg -1 seed for white grubs in endermic areas.

You need seed rates of 30-35kgs per acre spaced at 45-50x10-15cm.

Maintain fields weed free until maturity. Harvest when there is less rain to avoid the rotting of seed.

You will harvest 20-30 bags per acre, depending on your area, soil fertility and agronomic management.

The average cost of 1kg is Sh80 to Sh150, translating to Sh7,200 to Sh12,000 per 90kg bag. Groundnut growing is one of the most profitable enterprises in Kenya.

Prof Paul Kimurto, Egerton University

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IS MOLO IDEAL FOR AVOCADO GROWING?

First, let me thank you for your good work. I intend to start growing avocado but doesn’t know the best variety. Advice me on the recommended spacing too.

Dominic Kariuki, Molo

Avocadoes do well in Molo. If you are targeting the local market, the hass variety is the one recommended. For export, try the fuerte type.

A square spacing of 10m x 10m or a rectangular spacing of 10m x 8m will give you 100 and 125 trees per hectare respectively. Planting hole size is 45cm x 45cm x 45 cm.

Carol Mutua, Egerton University