Agriculture continues to be the country’s leading employer and a significant contributor to gross domestic product. Despite these great values, predicting and controlling uncertainties associated with weather and the market is difficult.
Crop farming is the most significant employer of all. However, different products will behave differently in production, affecting the general market prices. Some are promising, while others are not.
Most promising crops
Canola\Rapeseed
Wheat and maize farming is becoming expensive for large-scale farmers due to the high cost of production and low market prices. Canola has turned out to be the best alternative. Its low preference for pests and diseases, almost zero need for fertilizers, and minimal management skills compared to maize and wheat make it ideal. The vast demand for canola products and by-products, from food oil and cosmetics to protein sources in animal feeds, makes canola the most promising crop in 2022.
The demand is enormous, and most processors are importing it.
Coffee
Coffee is the second most consumed beverage after water and the second most traded commodity after oil globally. After the fall of the national miller, Kenya Planters Cooperative Union KPCU, the prices fell, cooperatives closed down, farmers cleared their coffee bushes, and production dropped significantly.
Those who remained in coffee farming were left at the mercy of private millers who paid poorly. However, with new reforms and the empowerment of the new Kenya Planters’ Cooperative Union NKPCU, prices on the auction have continued to rise, and farmers were paid promptly. The demand for quality coffee is growing and is expected to increase by over 30% this year.
Indigenous vegetables
The market for indigenous vegetables continues to expand tremendously. Demand is higher than ever, and consumer tastes and preferences are shifting, with big hotels including them on their menus.
The good thing is that the cost of production is extremely low, making it easier to increase production per unit area of land. Indigenous vegetables are one of the most promising crops in 2022, given that some startups are even exporting them.
Maize
It may sound weird that maize is on the list of promising crops in 2022. The fact that the cost of fertilizers, fuel, and seeds is high means the cost of production is high on the roof. Most farmers cannot afford this cost and will either shift to other enterprises or produce in small portions of land.
Read How to get high yields in maize farming.
Since Kenya is an “ugali” nation, the demand for maize will always be high. If the supply cannot meet the demand, prices will rise significantly. This will only happen if the government continues not to allow imports of maize. If it allows imports, farmers won’t make a profit at all.
Cabbages
Everyone agrees that cabbages are the most consumed vegetables in most high schools in Kenya. Given that schools are open most of the year, the demand for high-quality cabbages will always be there. High schools tend to offset the excess supply in the market, leaving farm gate prices per head higher than the cost of production. This is how cabbage farming in Kenya works: Farm cabbages for high yields.
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