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Joseph Macharia in one of his garlic farm in Mau Narok. [P.C. Ngeno]
Joseph Macharia, 43, left employment in a wildlife conservancy to establish an agriculture consultancy firm and farm dubbed ‘Garlic and Pepino Farm Nakuru’. His agribusiness has two divisions: consultancy division, which is located at White House, off Nakuru- Nyahururu road, in Nakuru County, and farming division, where he indulges himself in production of Pepino and garlic.
The MBA holder from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) ventured into agribusiness five years ago. “My firm has two divisions both farming and consulting divisions. The farming division started small as I was doing it as a hobby. After completing my MBA, I decided to venture into fulltime farming and agribusiness, with a capital of Sh3 million,’’ he says.
Nevertheless, he did not do thorough research at the beginning. As a result, he incurred tremendous losses. “It was then that I decided to use my skills and training in business management and ventured into agribusiness consulting to make sure other new farmers do not incur losses due to lack of technical support,’’ reveals the director cum farmer.
The farm where he grows garlic is located in Mau Narok, Nakuru County. He says that his consulting firm provides various services to clients; which include consultancy on-farm management, production of treated disease-free garlic and Pepino seeds for farmers, telephone support to all clients who purchase their planting materials. In addition, he says that his firm links farmers with markets and further advises them on sound agribusiness investment.
According to him, most of the garlic has market-derived names that are not standardized nationally. “The commonly known strains that I plant include Sotik, Moyale, Nyeri, Meru,’’ he adds.
However, he reveals that there are some challenges that he has experienced in this kind of farming, such as drought, which affects production.
The entrepreneur cum farmer says that prices of the produce are dictated by the forces of supply and demand factor. “I try to cushion my clients from fluctuating seeds prices,’’ says Macharia.
For Pepino melons, the farmer reveals, the prices are quickly coming down as more people get into Pepino farming.
To popularize Pepino melon farming, he adds, they have an offer of a 50% discount on all purchases of 20 seedlings and more. “Fruits are now going for Sh10 to Sh30 farm gate prices,’’ he adds.
Macharia says that garlic is more resistant to diseases, albeit rust has ever attacked his garlic on a few occasions. Originally from Andes Mountain, he says, Pepino melon is not seriously attacked by diseases.
The consultant cum farmer says that seeds needed for a one-acre piece of land, depending on various factors, such as the size of the cloves, irrigation methods to be used, among other factors that ought to be put into consideration.
“A safe estimate to work with for one acre is 100-200kgs. We assess all the factors before advising a farmer on the kilos to use. Production per acre also depends on many factors. More so, the land, farmer’s effort and weather patterns,’’ he says, adding that large cloves are the most ideal for planting. One kilo of garlic in Kenya can go up to Sh400, whereas one seed sells at Sh10. This kind of farming can earn one a lot of money if carried out well. The farmer says their prices are negotiable.
About the training, Macharia says that their approach is not to charge clients but to give them as after-sale service. “At Garlic and Pepino Farm Nakuru, our mantra is ‘our clients’ success is our success’. And we have been vindicated. 80% of our business is from referrals from our satisfied clients.
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The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization
with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print operations,
television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group
is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in
matters of national and international interest.
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