Joy and pain of growing crops for supermarkets

Rebecca Ndung’u farms spinach and sukuma wiki on a combined 40 acres in Limuru, Kiambu County, selling the produce to 18 branches of a supermarket in Nairobi under the business name Recea Enterprises.

Frank Akhubula spoke to her and to Prof Douglas Miano, an agricultural expert

Not many people may think sukuma wiki and spinach can be good money-makers. What did you see?

Rebecca: Sukuma wiki and spinach are among the best crops to grow because they are hardly affected by diseases and one harvests for a lengthy period.

I ventured into the business after failing to purchase quality vegetables from supermarkets.

Some of the retailers did not even stock the produce yet demand was there, I chose to fill this gap.

When did you start the farming?

Rebecca: I started in 2014 with an acre, but before that, I had sold the produce from the boot of my car after buying from farmers.

I first sought a contract from Uchumi supermarket and started purchasing vegetables from the farmers for delivery to the stores.

But I encountered challenges that included fluctuation of prices and I was not sure about the safety and quality of the vegetables.

I decided to farm them myself after borrowing Sh400,000 from various sources as capital.

The money went on leasing the piece of land, manure, setting up irrigation systems and labour.

Most land in the area is today leased at an average cost of 300,000 per acre annually.  But contracts are paid in advance for a period of 3-5 years.

How do you grow your crops to meet the standards set by buyers? 

Rebecca: First, the seeds are planted in a nursery and then transferred to main field.

It takes another 45 days for harvesting to start. For spinach, we alternate the varieties supplies by different firms.

The crops are grown partly organically.  We plant onions on the edge of the farm to repel insects. 

How many kilos do you harvest?

Rebecca: We harvest two tonnes of sukuma wiki and spinach daily, which we pack in bunches weighing 0.5g and deliver to Quickmart supermarket, which is one of my clients.

How do you prepare the vegetables before selling? 

The vegetables are washed and tied in bunches weighing 2.5g that go for Sh25.   Our delivery vans are not installed with refrigeration components, so washing before taking to the stores they remain fresh.

The business is good; the market is stable but supplying to such stores has its fair share of challenges.

What challenges, it must be any farmers’ dream to have such formal market?

Rebecca: Before I started supplying to my current customers, I used to sell my produce to Uchumi .

The supermarket, however, sunk with my money and it still owes me to date. My prayer is that the stores remain stable, it pains that some of them are facing closure or are not paying suppliers.

What does it take to get a contract to sale to a supermarket? What do they need?
You must present samples and have a certification from the horticultural association of Kenya.

If the contract is approved, you need to assure store owners that supply will be as stipulated in the contract.

What lesson have you learnt so far by selling to supermarkets?

Rebecca: Supermarkets pay for supplies after some time, which certainly affects cash flow to run business.

One must therefore have a source of money to meet running expenses. Further, anybody who wants to sale farm produce to the formal market must adhere to standards and avoid reneging on the contract.

What is your advice on use of organic farming practices?

Prof Douglas Miano, University of Nairobi: Organic manure is best used when fully decomposed and can be applied at any time on the farm.

On the other hand, inorganic fertilisers are best used when soil analysis has been done to determine nutrients needed.

Similarly, for control of pests and diseases, chemicals should be used judiciously, as a last resort but one should try to control the two organically.

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