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Pioneer Farms International Bananas
chiaroscuro
#1 Posted : Monday, May 07, 2018 2:15:31 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 2/2/2012
Posts: 1,134
Location: Nairobi
These guys are based in Ruiru

They have been running adverts on Kikuyu TV stations

They have two programmes - bananas and chicken

BANANA
You have 1 acre land with reliable water source
They sell you 480 seedlings @ sh380 each = Sh182,400
They come to your shamba, dig the holes, apply manure & fertilizer and plant the seedlings
In 3 months, the come back and apply more manure + fertilizer
In 3 more months the repeat above
In 3 other months they put final manure & fertilizer

During this 9-month period, your job is to till the weeds and water the bananas during dry spells - each plant needs 20L water per week

From 12th month, you start harvesting the early fruits.
They claim if properly cared for, you will get approx 100kg to 150kg bananas

They buy the bananas from you at Sh39 per kg.

You harvest first fruits weekly for about 3 months

Expect a minimum total of 480 x 100kg = 48,000kg

Total return is therefore = 48,000kg x sh39 = sh1,872,000!

Is this too good to be true?

Anyone in the banana market: tell us, if these numbers are reasonably exaggerated! Or are they OUTRAGEOUSLY exaggerated?

What would be the expected plant loss rate?

I once planted Eucalyptus trees and lost about 30% in one year. Forestry dept were shocked at how WELL my tree had survived - apparently average loss is around 50%!

So; who knows about bananas?
chiaroscuro
#2 Posted : Monday, May 07, 2018 2:22:56 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 2/2/2012
Posts: 1,134
Location: Nairobi
majimaji
#3 Posted : Monday, May 07, 2018 2:48:42 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 4/4/2007
Posts: 1,162

Ok, I'm a banana farmer.
Which banana variety weighs 100kg? Maybe 25kg
480 seedlings in an acre? Very dense even without doing the maths - bananas are heavy feeders and require space.
Also the 9months growth is rather short, my estimate is 12 months for the early fruit
Swenani
#4 Posted : Monday, May 07, 2018 2:49:17 PM
Rank: User


Joined: 8/15/2013
Posts: 13,237
Location: Vacuum
chiaroscuro wrote:
These guys are based in Ruiru

They have been running adverts on Kikuyu TV stations

They have two programmes - bananas and chicken

BANANA
You have 1 acre land with reliable water source
They sell you 480 seedlings @ sh380 each = Sh182,400
They come to your shamba, dig the holes, apply manure & fertilizer and plant the seedlings
In 3 months, the come back and apply more manure + fertilizer
In 3 more months the repeat above
In 3 other months they put final manure & fertilizer

During this 9-month period, your job is to till the weeds and water the bananas during dry spells - each plant needs 20L water per week

From 12th month, you start harvesting the early fruits.
They claim if properly cared for, you will get approx 100kg to 150kg bananas

They buy the bananas from you at Sh39 per kg.

You harvest first fruits weekly for about 3 months

Expect a minimum total of 480 x 100kg = 48,000kg

Total return is therefore = 48,000kg x sh39 = sh1,872,000!

Is this too good to be true?

Anyone in the banana market: tell us, if these numbers are reasonably exaggerated! Or are they OUTRAGEOUSLY exaggerated?

What would be the expected plant loss rate?

I once planted Eucalyptus trees and lost about 30% in one year. Forestry dept were shocked at how WELL my tree had survived - apparently average loss is around 50%!

So; who knows about bananas?


I think they are too ambitious, below are their two biggest assumptions
1.Each banana seedling will have 5 banana trees
2.Each banana tree will yield 25kgs of bananas meaning aprox 27-30kgs of banana brunch.

A)They should revise the banana seedlings tree yield to 1-2 in the first year, 2-3 trees in the second year and 3-5 trees in the third year.
B) Banana yield per tree should be 15kgs-20kgs per brunch.

In the first year, assuming no seedling dies you should work with no more than 450K gross sales with their pricing


If Obiero did it, Who Am I?
chiaroscuro
#5 Posted : Monday, May 07, 2018 3:07:37 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 2/2/2012
Posts: 1,134
Location: Nairobi
majimaji wrote:

Ok, I'm a banana farmer.
Which banana variety weighs 100kg? Maybe 25kg
480 seedlings in an acre? Very dense even without doing the maths - bananas are heavy feeders and require space.
Also the 9months growth is rather short, my estimate is 12 months for the early fruit


They say Fhia variety...



Their first fruits are also at 12 months

@Majimaji; what is the average range of prices per kilo in our market?
chiaroscuro
#6 Posted : Monday, May 07, 2018 3:14:01 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 2/2/2012
Posts: 1,134
Location: Nairobi
Here is a story from the archives: https://www.nation.co.ke...48664-10vckwe/index.html
majimaji
#7 Posted : Monday, May 07, 2018 3:18:42 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 4/4/2007
Posts: 1,162
chiaroscuro wrote:
majimaji wrote:

Ok, I'm a banana farmer.
Which banana variety weighs 100kg? Maybe 25kg
480 seedlings in an acre? Very dense even without doing the maths - bananas are heavy feeders and require space.
Also the 9months growth is rather short, my estimate is 12 months for the early fruit


They say Fhia variety...



Their first fruits are also at 12 months

@Majimaji; what is the average range of prices per kilo in our market?


Ok, the FHIA is a good variety. I don't sell mine in kilos but I recently have sold like the bunch pictured wholesale. It had 150 or so bananas that I sold at 20 bob per 3no., that gave KES 1000 bob.
Julie
#8 Posted : Thursday, May 10, 2018 9:55:26 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 12/2/2006
Posts: 658
That price of a banana plant of Kshs 380 is day light robbery.
I know of Tc labs selling at Kshs 85 per 1 well hardened plantlet...
murchr
#9 Posted : Thursday, May 10, 2018 10:21:45 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 2/26/2012
Posts: 15,980
majimaji wrote:
chiaroscuro wrote:
majimaji wrote:

Ok, I'm a banana farmer.
Which banana variety weighs 100kg? Maybe 25kg
480 seedlings in an acre? Very dense even without doing the maths - bananas are heavy feeders and require space.
Also the 9months growth is rather short, my estimate is 12 months for the early fruit


They say Fhia variety...



Their first fruits are also at 12 months

@Majimaji; what is the average range of prices per kilo in our market?


Ok, the FHIA is a good variety. I don't sell mine in kilos but I recently have sold like the bunch pictured wholesale. It had 150 or so bananas that I sold at 20 bob per 3no., that gave KES 1000 bob.



What is 3nos? Am expecting a harvest and I want to know this market lingo. Do you mean mandizi tatu?
"There are only two emotions in the market, hope & fear. The problem is you hope when you should fear & fear when you should hope: - Jesse Livermore
.
Angelica _ann
#10 Posted : Thursday, May 10, 2018 10:21:54 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 12/7/2012
Posts: 11,908
Julie wrote:
That price of a banana plant of Kshs 380 is day light robbery.
I know of Tc labs selling at Kshs 85 per 1 well hardened plantlet...


The pricing maybe includes the digging, fertilizer & manure plus the guaranteed market!!!
In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins - cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later - H Geneen
Angelica _ann
#11 Posted : Thursday, May 10, 2018 10:23:52 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 12/7/2012
Posts: 11,908
Our bananas, where I come from, mature at 16-18 months, though the traditional variety!!!
In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins - cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later - H Geneen
majimaji
#12 Posted : Friday, May 11, 2018 9:19:39 AM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 4/4/2007
Posts: 1,162
murchr wrote:
majimaji wrote:
chiaroscuro wrote:
majimaji wrote:

Ok, I'm a banana farmer.
Which banana variety weighs 100kg? Maybe 25kg
480 seedlings in an acre? Very dense even without doing the maths - bananas are heavy feeders and require space.
Also the 9months growth is rather short, my estimate is 12 months for the early fruit


They say Fhia variety...



Their first fruits are also at 12 months

@Majimaji; what is the average range of prices per kilo in our market?


Ok, the FHIA is a good variety. I don't sell mine in kilos but I recently have sold like the bunch pictured wholesale. It had 150 or so bananas that I sold at 20 bob per 3no., that gave KES 1000 bob.



What is 3nos? Am expecting a harvest and I want to know this market lingo. Do you mean mandizi tatu?


Yes. 3 number. Sorry for using language ya welder na fundi.
Angelica _ann
#13 Posted : Friday, May 11, 2018 9:28:56 AM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 12/7/2012
Posts: 11,908
majimaji wrote:
murchr wrote:
majimaji wrote:
chiaroscuro wrote:
majimaji wrote:

Ok, I'm a banana farmer.
Which banana variety weighs 100kg? Maybe 25kg
480 seedlings in an acre? Very dense even without doing the maths - bananas are heavy feeders and require space.
Also the 9months growth is rather short, my estimate is 12 months for the early fruit


They say Fhia variety...



Their first fruits are also at 12 months

@Majimaji; what is the average range of prices per kilo in our market?


Ok, the FHIA is a good variety. I don't sell mine in kilos but I recently have sold like the bunch pictured wholesale. It had 150 or so bananas that I sold at 20 bob per 3no., that gave KES 1000 bob.



What is 3nos? Am expecting a harvest and I want to know this market lingo. Do you mean mandizi tatu?


Yes. 3 number. Sorry for using language ya welder na fundi.


Yawa very clear language, ndizi tatu ni mbao!!!
In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins - cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later - H Geneen
Mukiri
#14 Posted : Friday, May 11, 2018 8:01:27 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 7/11/2012
Posts: 5,222
I stopped reading @ 'They sell you ....'

If you are a genuine company why not invest your money, then deduct the same from sales? Sugar companies do that, no? Rabbit venders tried the same thing

Proverbs 19:21
chiaroscuro
#15 Posted : Saturday, May 12, 2018 8:58:14 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 2/2/2012
Posts: 1,134
Location: Nairobi
Mukiri wrote:
I stopped reading @ 'They sell you ....'

If you are a genuine company why not invest your money, then deduct the same from sales? Sugar companies do that, no? Rabbit venders tried the same thing



Yes they do....and look how well they are doing and how happy the farmers are...
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