Githaiga Kihara at his farm in Tetu, Nyeri county. [Kibata Kihu, Standard]
If you visit Githaiga Kihara’s farms, you will notice one thing, this man has a passion for grass for fodder. He has three farms in Mukurweini and Kieni constituencies in Nyeri County where he grows over 20 varieties of grass.
Kihara has spent the last seven years researching and growing different species of grass which he sells as splits to dairy cattle farmers. And business is booming, he says.
“I did research online and discovered bracharia grass and other grasses with huge potential. I started growing the grasses in small quantities and noticed an increase in milk production in my dairy goats when I fed them on it,” he recalls.
Kihara, a dairy goat farmer started his grass business in 2015 in Gakindu, Mukurweini, when he was struggling with feeds.
The cost of commercial feeds was high and unsustainable so he turned to grass growing as an alternative.
Social media buzz
To learn more about growing bracharia grass, Kihara, a trained teacher, visited Kenya Agricultural Research Organisation offices in Katumani, Machakos County.
“I interacted with their researchers and learnt a lot. I bought some bracharia splits which I planted on my farm. I started with one variety and slowly increased to eight different types of bracharia,” Kihara says.
After he planted the grass successfully and turned it into fodder for his animals he posted the results on social media.
“I shared my experience using bracharia grass as fodder for my animals and I found many farmers asking me for splits and cuttings and that is when I decided to go into growing the grass for sale,” he says.
In his effort to find a solution for his own situation he found a need in the dairy sector market and filled it.
Demonstration purposes
Now he has three farms, in Nyeri Mukurweini and Kieni constituencies where he grows his grass cuttings and splits with over 15 varieties of grass.
His farm in Chorongi village Nyeri town is for demonstration purposes. He has planted about 20 varieties of grass and uses this space to sell to clients interested in grass splits and cuttings.
“This demo farm is where I carry out most of my business sales, while the other farms are for growing cuttings for clients who need large quantities of grass seedlings,” he explains.
He has six full-time employees including his wife.
Other than Central Kenya, he sells his grass across East and West Africa where he sends his cuttings.
The main bracharia types he sells are Toledo, basilisk, MG4, Pieta, Ceres, Mulato, Cayman, cobra.
He has been certified by Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) whose responsibility is ensure the cuttings are quality.
Why Bracharia?
Bracharia grass is known for its high crude protein which is between 16 to 18 per cent, unlike local fodders grass that has between 4 to seven per cent crude protein.
“With this kind of grass, you can cut out manufactured dairy meal feeds for your animals as they get their protein from the fodder,” he says.
The grass can be preserved, in form of silage or dried up and stored as hay.
He also specialises in a super Napier grass known as Pakchong1 which was developed in Thailand.
“I sell each cutting of Pakchong 1 at Sh50. If you are to plant on an acre, you will need about 3,630 cuttings which will cost Sh181,500,” he explains.
The hybrid nappier grass obtained by crossing Elephant grass and Pearl Millet was developed in Thailand by Dr Krailas Kiyothong, an animal nutritionist and plant breeder.
Kihara describes the super Napier as a game-changer in the dairy industry as it is the only variety in Kenya with the highest crude protein 16 to 18 per cent.
In terms of production, the super nappier can produce approximately 180-200 tonnes per acre per year.
“Ordinary nappier produce approximately 50 to 60 tonnes per acre annually. This means a dairy farmer can easily rear 10-15 cows in one acre of land,” he points out.
The first harvest can be ready 75 to 90 days after planting and subsequent cuts are done after intervals of 45 to 60 days.
Farmers experiences
John Mbuthia a small-scale dairy farmer from Mweiga, plans to acquire the grass seedlings for planting.
“I want to plant the grass for my cows and goats, and also set up a demo farm for my neighbours to learn more about these grasses,” he says.
John Wamuiru, another dairy farmer living in a semi-arid area, says sourcing grass for his herd has been a challenge.
“When the rains fail or delay in Kieni, it gets very dry and you cannot graze your animals, so I rely on hay and silage. I need a constant supply of feed to ensure that my animals do not die from the drought,” he observes.
Impact of Covid-19
Though he has broken even, Kihara says his business however is not without challenges, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown which happened in March 2020.
“Field activities halted and most of the customers stayed away. We had pending orders, and by the time the restrictions were lifted, the rains had passed and we could not plant cuttings,” he recalls.
His business has also been affected by erratic weather patterns such as droughts and delayed rains.
