At the heart of Bungoma County, where maize and sugarcane are the most grown cash crops, one farmer has ditched the norm to introduce some of the most profitable crops.
On his farm in Naitiri, Dr. David Eseli, former Member of Parliament for Tongaren constituency grows Hass avocado, sugarcane and coffee.
“I was an MP for 15 years until 2022, when I lost the election and put on what I call factory settings. My factory settings are farming coz I grew up here as a farmer, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the two-plus years that I’ve been at home,” Mr. Eseli revealed.
The farmer has 30 acres of coffee, mainly the Batian and Ruiru 11 varieties. He conducts on-farm coffee processing for value addition, boosting his earnings.
“We have a pulping station. People call it a coffee factory, but it’s really a pulping station, A sort of value addition. Once the coffee has been harvested, we select out the unripe ones, then we put them in the machine to remove the cover. That’s what’s called pulping,” he explains.
“After the pulping, the coffee is dried, packed, and sold to millers,” Mr Eseli adds.
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The farmer also has 4 acres of land under Hass avocado. The journey into avocado farming began after the former lawmaker received 5,000 seedlings from the National Irrigation Board to supply to farmers in the region.
He led by example and planted some seedlings, which he has intercropped with beans. He practices pure organic farming using animal manure, ensuring the production of chemical-free fruits.
According to him, avocado farming is cheaper than coffee farming as it does not require a lot of inputs.
He has also leased a farm in TransNzoia, where he grows sugarcane on a large scale. He also owns another 10-acre sugarcane farm in Naitiri, where he harvests between 40 to 50 tons from an acre.
Eseli notes that the venture is profitable and if taken care of, a farmer can harvest up to 4 times per season.
“The returns are good between 40 to 50 tons per acre, and if a ton is going for Sh5,000 then you’re looking at close to Sh250,000 per acre. If you remove your costs, you’re looking at about Sh200,000 per acre,” he explains, adding that returns are determined by how good the crop is managed from planting to harvesting.
He advises smallholder farmers to prioritize high-value crops such as avocado, coffee, and dairy, unlike sugarcane, which requires a large acreage.
“Dairy gives you a daily income, so you will not be short of money at any time. Avocado will also give you a good income, which can cover your school fees and things like that. Coffee will give you once one yearly payment, which can actually boost you quite well. If you have more land, then you can do sugarcane,” he advises.
