From poultry farming, tomato, and now cucumber farming, Fidel Mwendwa, a Kenyan farmer, is confident that there is big money in farming.
The 27-year-old grows cucumbers using hydroponic systems, a farming process where crops are fed nutrient-rich water rather than using soil for plant nutrition.
The soil science graduate started the venture after a 4-month training organized by KCB Bank and Mastercard Foundation that sought to educate farmers about hydroponic agriculture
”I trained for four months on food and fodder production, then after graduating, I partnered with a friend with whom we registered a business called Raven Farm Fresh Growers. We started growing tomatoes and cucumbers, but currently, we are doing cucumbers,’’ he said.
His greenhouse measuring 8 metres by 30 metres, hosts 1,000 cucumber plants. Mwendwa grows both the local and English cucumber varieties, which he says are currently the best in the market.
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From each plant, he harvests about 10kgs of cucumber, which is 10,000kgs for 1,000 plants. He sells each fruit at between Sh45 and Sh60, meaning he makes between Sh450,000 and 600,000 per season. Mwendwa uses about Sh100,000 to produce the crops per season.
”I can tell you for free there is money in agriculture. And with cucumber, you harvest after the 40th day of transplanting. I can tell you agribusiness is the real deal,’’ he added.
For high yields and profits, Mwendwa says it’s crucial to get the right propagated seeds. A spacing of 50cm from one plant to another should be observed when seeding or transplanting.
In the early stages, the plant should be fertilized with phosphorus to enhance root formation and NPK for the general well-being of the crop.
”On your 30th day, you will start seeing some newly formed fruits, and after two weeks, you will be able to see a ready harvest. From there, you will start to harvest up to the fourth month,” he noted.