Wongachi Development Farm's manager, Naboth Monde supervises as a farm
employee sprays pesticide on the tissue culture banana seedlings that
they grow. PHOTO | ELIZABETH OJINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
By ELIZABETH OJINA
Hundreds of banana seedlings sway gently as strong winds blow
intermittently on the farm in Ebusyubi village, some 3km from Luanda in
Vihiga County.
Sitting on five acres, Wongachi
Development Farm hosts thousands of tissue culture bananas that the
owner, Prof Martin Obanda, the Director of Research and Production at
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Juja,
propagates and sells to farmers.
Prof Obanda has
literally brought research and extension to his village through the
farm. His farm manager, Naboth Monde takes us round the farm.
Out
first stop is at a 33m by 8m greenhouse hosting 100,000 seedlings. We
dip our feet in a footbath, a measure to control pest and diseases,
before entering the greenhouse which has shade nets and metal racks
hosting seedlings planted in trays.
“We buy the seedlings, grow them and sell. Currently, we have one-month and three-month old crops,” says Monde.
The
farm, according to him, imports the tissue culture seedlings from
Rwanda, where Prof Obanda has partnership with a firm that multiplies
them.
Monde says they grow ripening banana varieties like Grand Nain,
FHIA 17 and FHIA 18 and cooking varieties such as Musa Acuminate, Kisii
Ng’ombe and Nusu Ng’ombe.
DEMAND AND WEATHER PATTERN
The seedlings are imported according to the demand and the weather pattern.
The bulk is done from December to February so that they sell them during the long rainy seasons.
“We
order at least 50,000 nine-month old seedlings twice a month. In
Rwanda, the seedlings are placed in clear plastic perforated containers.
They are later packaged in cooling boxes with dry ice to keep them
fresh before they are transported by air,” explains Monde, noting each
goes at Sh45.
Prof
Martin Obanda, the Director of Research and Production at Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology, Juja who is also the
proprietor of Wongachi Development Farm. PHOTO | ELIZABETH OJINA |
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Upon arrival
on the farm, the shoots are planted in trays filled with soil and animal
manure, and placed in the greenhouse where there is controlled
temperature and humidity.
“After seven days we apply the first pesticides, fungicides and foliar feeds,” says Monde.
The
shoots remain in the trays for a month, before being transplanted into
black polythene pots containing soil, farmyard manure and CAN
fertiliser.
They are later placed under a shade net for hardening.
There
they take another six weeks before they are ready for sale, with demand
doubling during the rainy season. On average, they sell 20,000 tissue
culture seedlings a month at Sh150 each.
PESTS AND DISEASES
“Our
biggest clients are county governments, in particular, Kakamega, Busia
and Migori, agricultural non-government organisations, individual
farmers in Kisumu, Vihiga and Kisii,” says Monde, noting the farm is
certified by Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services and Horticulture
Crops Development Authority.
Prof Obanda says he set up
the tissue culture banana seedlings venture in January 2014. His
investment was Sh5 million, with the money going on buying seedlings,
and the greenhouse, which cost Sh300,000.
But even as
the agribusiness grows, with the scientist having recouped his
investment, the trade has its fair share of challenges that include pest
and disease attack and slow clearance of shoots once they arrive at the
airport.
Diseases include leaf spots and leaf rot.
CREDIT: SEEDSOFGOLD
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