Arrow Roots Farming Kenya: Veteran educationist and publisher David Muruli has set up a jungle of arrow roots to supplement his pension with “green millions”.
His farm, christened Bunyore Riverside Agricultural Development (Brad), is green with thousands of blossoming arrow roots, popularly known as nduma. Muruli’s goal is to create an agribusiness empire on his 26-acre farm. His flagship produce is the arrow roots which he has set aside 10 acres for.
Unlike surrounding farms where arrow roots grow without being tended to, Muruli has given his crop enough care. “I looked around Nairobi and realised residents yearn for food that are considered traditional. Such foods have become rare and consequently expensive as years go by,” Muruli says.
Farming on 1 acre: How Kiambu couple makes over Sh. 4 million
“Arrow root farming has not been taken seriously in Vihiga and other neighbouring counties. It is a noble venture farmers should try out.” Although he has spent a fortune on the farm and is eager to recoup his investment, Muruli says he is in no hurry as he knows the returns will be good. “The fact that I have not even harvested the crop is scary, but I am not afraid. We will see how it comes out in the end and learn a lot from the first harvest,” he says.
His expansive farm is the envy of many as it also holds six huge fish ponds, tissue culture banana plantations and more than 1,200 layers. “We are food insecure in this county because we depend so much on maize, which does not yield much,” he says. His passion for arrow root farming led him to Tanzania from where he brought giant variety of the arrow root. This, he says, supplements the crop he planted from locally available indigenous seeds.
“I had plenty of an open field which, coupled with the loamy soil, is ideal for arrow root farming. Clay soil induce poor rhizome development,” he says. Arrow roots are not susceptible to serious pest attacks, apart from moles and ants which are easy to control. “The crop takes up to nine months to mature. But if one wants a much higher starch content, the best time to harvest is after the plant is one year old,” he says. As it is the norm of Kenyans to have a cup of tea in the morning complemented by well cooked nduma, Muruli knows he has a ready market for his crop. He expects an initial harvest of 10 tonnes and is targeting the Nairobi market where arrow roots are a favourite at breakfast tables.
With a single arrow root selling at an average of Sh100 a kilo, Muruli knows he is in for a bumper pay once his arrow roots are ready for harvest.
The nduma, he says, has given him a perfect beginning for a life in retirement away from the fast paced bustle of the city.
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When she returned home from the US a few years ago, Gladys Chania purchased three pieces of land in the sloppy Gatundu North Constituency in Kiambu County.
Her motivation was to be like a majority of Kenyans who invest in property locally after spending years abroad.
She had no immediate plans of farming or developing the plots as the fact of owning land was enough satisfaction.
However, the previous owners had grown arrow roots on the land through which a stream runs. She decided to grow them, besides everyone else seemed to have the crop on their land, thus, it looked the best thing to do.
“I never thought arrow roots could earn someone money considering the crop is just left to grow on its own. I also had not heard of anyone who had taken arrow root farming in Kenya seriously,” Gladys says.
But then it was time for harvesting six months later and the dilemma of where to take the excess produce hit her hard as almost all of her neighbours had the crop on their farms.
A solution came when she talked to her neighbours at her home in Thika town who agreed to be buying from her. So she would have the produce delivered to the estate from where she would distribute to neighbours.
With time, the supply outran the demand and she was forced to look for a bigger market since she was being forced by circumstances to sell the arrowroot at throwaway prices.
She landed a deal with a supply chain store with an outlet in Thika town as well as traders who agreed to be buying her produce on wholesale.
With the demand high and the need to be consistent rising, Gladys hired a farm manager and 20 casual labourers who work on the farm, especially during weeding and harvesting.
Today, each plantation in the three plots that make half-an-acre, the size of her farm, fetches her about Sh200,000 a year, making a cool Sh600,000 or more annually.
To grow arrowroots, dig deep to soften the soil. Holes should be six to 10 inches in depth depending on the size of the stem. Do not put too much soil in the hole since the crops grows upwards and will regularly need more manure and water. In six months, one can get mature arrowroot. For larger ones, you can allow eight or ten months depending on the availability of water and enough manure. Weeding is necessary to avoid competition for nutrients from the soil.
Joseph Mureithi, the principal at Waruhiu Agricultural Development Centre in Githunguri, says arrowroot farming is a viable venture which if taken seriously can bring huge profits.
“Many people are opting to have the arrowroot for breakfast and I don’t think there is any hotel in the country where you won’t find it because people no longer want bread,” Mureithi says.
The crop, Mureithi said, does not require a lot of farm input since it does not need fertiliser or regular care, making the cost of production minimal.
And the crop does not only grow along riverbanks as many farmers believe since it can be grown through moisture farming.
Impressed by the returns, Gladys is planning to increase her plantation this year with a target of making about Sh1.5 million a year.
“I want to increase the plantation to over an acre and also do it in a more advanced way. The venture has proven to be an interesting one since it does not take a lot of your time and the returns are good.”
To keep her crop free from contamination, Gladys does not use fertilizer but only organic manure sourced from her farm where she has kept cows, goats and chicken.
She encourages more people to practice commercial arrow roots farming in Kenya, saying the current supply does not meet demand. Arrow Roots Farming Kenya.