Farming is often seen as an easy way to make money. Experts will opine otherwise stating that it’s a skill that takes time and patience to master before any real profits come in.
In a recent episode of Wicked Edition with Dr King’ori, the former NTV show host shared that he had once ventured into farming, a project that ended up backfiring and left him counting losses.
During his conversation with seasoned farmer Caleb Karuga, King’ori revealed that he had invested Sh. 400,000 into a watermelon farming project. He shared that a friend, who leases land in Emali for farming, had encouraged him with promising tales of success from the venture.
His friend had netted over Sh. 340,000 in profit from watermelon farming. Lured by the interest of large margins, King’ori chose to conduct research. Noting the rising demand for healthy foods in Kenya, King’ori felt confident that this was the right investment for him.
“So I do watermelon on one and a half acres and then I mix with butternut on the advice of an agricultural professional,” he said, adding that he was a telephone farmer.
King’ori planted the watermelons in April, and by July, he was ready to sell his first harvest. He’d been initially told that watermelon farming could fetch up to Sh. 18 per kilo.
When his harvest was ready, King’ori reached out to a supplier at Nairobi’s Marikiti market. To his surprise, they offered a stale deal of just Sh. 5 per kilo which was a far cry from the expected Sh. 18.
“Eventually someone comes and offers Sh. 1,000 bob for the entire farm of watermelons…that project cost me Sh. 400,000,” he said.
King’ori began to wonder if he’d entered the market at a bad time or if the supplier was taking advantage of his inexperience in the watermelon business.
“You come and park your lorry full of watermelons, then he knows there’s nowhere you will go with them,” he sarcastically said.
Caleb Karuga offered some honest advice, noting that King’ori had made several rookie mistakes in a market known for profit-driven tactics. He termed King’ori’s first misstep as relying on ‘advice ya beste yangu’.
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“Whereas such success stories exist, we shouldn’t make an investment decision based on the success of someone else,” Karuga maintained.
Secondly, Karuga noted that King’ori’s friend probably either had a network of good buyers or had done watermelon farming in the past. However, when it came to King’ori, there is a likelihood that the buyers sensed fear in him.
“They smelt fear and know that this is probably the first time this guy is doing watermelon farming…then they tell you ‘Zimekuwa mingi sokoni’. 13 years in farming, there’s a lot that I’ve heard and seen around this sector. It’s a very dirty sector,” Karuga said emphasizing that farming is a game of numbers.
Caleb Karuga asserted that farming demands full-time commitment and isn’t suited for passive income seekers. He also cautioned against ‘telephone farming’, where investors manage farms remotely, saying it often leads to serious setbacks.
