The ABCDE of basil growing

Basil plant in terracotta pot

A few weeks ago, I visited a popular farmers’ Facebook page and came across an interesting discussion on little known herb — basil. Farmers wanted to know more about it. Basil is a versatile aromatic herb in the mint family. The herb has received a lot of attention from farmers due to burgeoning market demand from Europe and United Arab Emirates.

This rising demand is driven by health conscious middle-class who want the plant for its many health benefits. Progressive farmers can leverage on the rising demand to move away from traditional crops whose proceeds have left most of them poor. As the demand is increasing, production of basil is still low. Kenyan farmers are on meeting six per cent of the demand in the international market.