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Water Melons Farming
Rollins
#1 Posted : Wednesday, December 30, 2015 11:41:35 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 3/23/2011
Posts: 503
Hello wazuans. I have a small shamba which i plan to delve into watermelon farming next year (2016). Would want to try on 3 acres. Does anyone here know a farm i could visit around Thika or Kirinyaga i learn the science of watermelon farming!

Happy Hunting in 2016!
Even a BrOKeN clock is right twice a day
Rollins
#2 Posted : Wednesday, December 30, 2015 11:44:26 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 3/23/2011
Posts: 503
Rollins wrote:
Hello wazuans. I have a small shamba which i plan to delve into watermelon farming next year (2016). Would want to try on 3 acres. Does anyone here know a farm i could visit around Thika or Kirinyaga i learn the science of watermelon farming!

Happy Hunting in 2016!


Guest, Rollins

Bwana/Bi guest...tafthali sema kitu
Even a BrOKeN clock is right twice a day
Rollins
#3 Posted : Wednesday, December 30, 2015 12:02:01 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 3/23/2011
Posts: 503
alma! please say something ata kama ni mambo ya swenani farming...
Even a BrOKeN clock is right twice a day
murchr
#4 Posted : Wednesday, December 30, 2015 6:14:07 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 2/26/2012
Posts: 15,979
Anza na one acre kwanza
"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
.
alma1
#5 Posted : Thursday, December 31, 2015 8:53:09 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 9/19/2015
Posts: 2,871
Location: hapo
Rollins if you are serious, we are doing something come January which your 3 acres can benefit from.

My experience with most farmers is that they think about the produce first before thinking about the market. The watermelon market is controlled by the brokers in Marigiti. Now unless you know someone there, even though you make 1 m, someone else shall make 1 m from your 5 months of sweat.

Be wise with farming.

If you are really serious about going into it, get in touch. 3 acres is too much for a first time farmer without a distribution network.

You will end up like those guys who sell watermelons on their pickups in every estate.

Farming is not for the weak at heart. It is no longer the place for get rich quick schemes. It's a serious business.

Today I visited a very young guy's farm in Ruaka. Yes, Ruaka. Only 1/4 acre rented. By April, the guy shall be making more than the so called Bank managers. Why? Because he's got his whole supply chain in check.

Talk to me, you will be shocked to see what the business people are doing with less than half an acre as the farmers are still planting sijui 3 acres of watermelons.
Thieves are not good people. Tumeelewana?

radio
#6 Posted : Friday, January 01, 2016 6:59:56 AM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 11/9/2009
Posts: 2,003
I just harvested my watermelon yesterday (31st) somewhere in Embu.

These are my lessons (not in any order):
1. Get the market early (like Alma says)
2. Water. Water. Water. Lots of it.
3. Warm weather (most farmers have lost everything due to the Elnino)
4. Get the right seedlings (type and quality)
5. Have a good caretaker
6. Get a good weighing scale

I never knew a melon can be as heavy as 12Kgs.

Alma1, lets talk, January is here already.
FRM2011
#7 Posted : Friday, January 01, 2016 9:52:32 AM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 11/5/2010
Posts: 2,459
radio wrote:
I just harvested my watermelon yesterday (31st) somewhere in Embu.

These are my lessons (not in any order):
1. Get the market early (like Alma says)
2. Water. Water. Water. Lots of it.
3. Warm weather (most farmers have lost everything due to the Elnino)
4. Get the right seedlings (type and quality)
5. Have a good caretaker
6. Get a good weighing scale

I never knew a melon can be as heavy as 12Kgs.

Alma1, lets talk, January is here already.

@radio, could this be in mheshimiwa njagagua's constituency ?
KulaRaha
#8 Posted : Friday, January 01, 2016 10:44:48 AM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 7/26/2007
Posts: 6,514
alma1 wrote:
Rollins if you are serious, we are doing something come January which your 3 acres can benefit from.

My experience with most farmers is that they think about the produce first before thinking about the market. The watermelon market is controlled by the brokers in Marigiti. Now unless you know someone there, even though you make 1 m, someone else shall make 1 m from your 5 months of sweat.

Be wise with farming.

If you are really serious about going into it, get in touch. 3 acres is too much for a first time farmer without a distribution network.

You will end up like those guys who sell watermelons on their pickups in every estate.

Farming is not for the weak at heart. It is no longer the place for get rich quick schemes. It's a serious business.

Today I visited a very young guy's farm in Ruaka. Yes, Ruaka. Only 1/4 acre rented. By April, the guy shall be making more than the so called Bank managers. Why? Because he's got his whole supply chain in check.

Talk to me, you will be shocked to see what the business people are doing with less than half an acre as the farmers are still planting sijui 3 acres of watermelons.



Alma1, pls share your ideas. My email is dropmyload at gmail dot com.
Business opportunities are like buses,there's always another one coming
Kausha
#9 Posted : Friday, January 01, 2016 11:55:23 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 2/8/2007
Posts: 808
I agree with Alma1. Leave melons alone unless you have a direct market.Alternatively try your hand in dairy or beef farming. You have better control of the market and production costs. If you are in a hot area you have pests such as dogs, birds and hippos when growing melons.
Kausha
#10 Posted : Friday, January 01, 2016 11:59:00 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 2/8/2007
Posts: 808
The most you will get for your produce is kshs 30bob per kg. At marigiti the kilo goes for 50-60. The production costs if you have the lick of rain is about 20 bob. If it gets too warm you have about 25bob per kg.
Rollins
#11 Posted : Friday, January 01, 2016 9:02:36 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 3/23/2011
Posts: 503
Thanks @alma. see i knew you are an old hand on this matters. i will definitely get in touch..

@Radio
How is the market like? And cost of production?
I still want to give it a try albeit on a smaller scale.


Even a BrOKeN clock is right twice a day
alma1
#12 Posted : Saturday, January 02, 2016 5:59:17 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 9/19/2015
Posts: 2,871
Location: hapo
Rollins the problem with farming is these facebook groups, smart farmer, mkulima young etc

I saw one story of a lady making 1 million from 1 acre of water melons on smart farmer.

Let me be very honest with you. Without a supply chain you are just a pawn. Google Tyson's food. They have the whole supply chain.

That's what we want to do. One product at a time.

Kula Raha...I'll send info once its all ironed out.As you can imagine organising farmers is like organising drunk sailors.

But the project goal is to ensure that the farmer gets full value. So what we are looking for are

1. Farmers with land
2. Off line marketers - this is kenya someone has to seal the deal
3. Investors - Someone forgot to tell farmers that its a business
4. Online marketers - that's covered.

1 and 4 are covered.

We are looking for investors as JV's or shareholders or simply get a pyramid style return. Ok joking about the last one.

We are also looking for a few guys who know how to seal deals.

But thus far its working without the 2 above. But we want to scale with the right people.

If its still something you are interested in write to emasaa 80 at yahoo.

Do you know the biggest honey company in Kenya is owned by some mzungu who leases land from the maasai for free, makes bee hives for them, buys their honey at upus prices, takes it to industrial area, then packages it for the export market?

If you are farming and don't know what supply chain means, you are loosing money.
Thieves are not good people. Tumeelewana?

geofreygachie
#13 Posted : Saturday, January 02, 2016 8:20:47 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 2/27/2014
Posts: 454
Location: Republic of Enchantment.
alma1 wrote:
Rollins the problem with farming is these facebook groups, smart farmer, mkulima young etc

I saw one story of a lady making 1 million from 1 acre of water melons on smart farmer.

Let me be very honest with you. Without a supply chain you are just a pawn. Google Tyson's food. They have the whole supply chain.

That's what we want to do. One product at a time.

Kula Raha...I'll send info once its all ironed out.As you can imagine organising farmers is like organising drunk sailors.

But the project goal is to ensure that the farmer gets full value. So what we are looking for are

1. Farmers with land
2. Off line marketers - this is kenya someone has to seal the deal
3. Investors - Someone forgot to tell farmers that its a business
4. Online marketers - that's covered.

1 and 4 are covered.

We are looking for investors as JV's or shareholders or simply get a pyramid style return. Ok joking about the last one.

We are also looking for a few guys who know how to seal deals.

But thus far its working without the 2 above. But we want to scale with the right people.

If its still something you are interested in write to emasaa 80 at yahoo.

Do you know the biggest honey company in Kenya is owned by some mzungu who leases land from the maasai for free, makes bee hives for them, buys their honey at upus prices, takes it to industrial area, then packages it for the export market?

If you are farming and don't know what supply chain means, you are loosing money.


Applause @alma1. I think i need to connect with you regarding farming if you don't mind.
Divers - can you laugh in scuba gear, or will you drown? I was wondering. - James May.
Lolest!
#14 Posted : Saturday, January 02, 2016 8:32:37 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 3/18/2011
Posts: 12,069
Location: Kianjokoma
I like that supplies route but one tricky thing with dealing with farmers is that contract or no contract, they'll sell to the highest bidder for their products then give you excuses like this season we didn't get any harvest na ghadhaligha
Laughing out loudly smile Applause d'oh! Sad Drool Liar Shame on you Pray
alma1
#15 Posted : Saturday, January 02, 2016 8:46:37 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 9/19/2015
Posts: 2,871
Location: hapo
Lolest! wrote:
I like that supplies route but one tricky thing with dealing with farmers is that contract or no contract, they'll sell to the highest bidder for their products then give you excuses like this season we didn't get any harvest na ghadhaligha


Actually the opposite is true.

When I was in campus, long long long time ago, I was a pick up broker.

I used to buy tomatoes from farmers, hire a pick up and sell in marikiti.

I discovered that I was selling more than all my competitors combined simply because the farmers trusted me.

Just when they were starting the farms, they couldn't afford their inputs. So as I was passing by going to buy tomatoes in another town, I'd stop, buy the farmer a few tuskers and buy him his inputs. No contracts.

Trust me, harvest season, I used to go for 3 trips in a day in a pickup. My competitors could only go for 1 trip in 2 days.

They used to tell someone, "mapengo amakuja, mwaga nyanya yangu".

So yes, there's a risk of not following a contract but that's business and you take note of that. But most of the time, the guys who go with you make you more than than the greedy ones.

My marikiti brokers were the happiest. I paid them less but my pick up never entered the market without it fully booked. Sales were made when queuing. So my 22 crates were fully booked before I entered marikiti.

So I'd send the pickup back to the farm for more and stay and talk to the mzees in that market. Trust me, they own the market.

Even after becoming kiash, when I land in Subukia, Mwea, Embu, Loitoktok, even now, they ask, unakuja kununua lini?

Suppy chain. Get the farmer the market.

I see kabazi canners in Nakuru buying the worst ugliest most rotten tomatoes for peanuts then selling you their tomatoe sauce. Haki, I can't take that sauce. I know too much.

Farmers need to get into the suppy chain. Otherwise they are just employees. That's what we are trying to build. geofrey, send your email. We should have a sample farm ready in January. Waiting for something to come by ship from south africa. But we are going to use that as a sample of what we want to scale.
Thieves are not good people. Tumeelewana?

geofreygachie
#16 Posted : Saturday, January 02, 2016 9:11:37 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 2/27/2014
Posts: 454
Location: Republic of Enchantment.
alma1 wrote:
Lolest! wrote:
I like that supplies route but one tricky thing with dealing with farmers is that contract or no contract, they'll sell to the highest bidder for their products then give you excuses like this season we didn't get any harvest na ghadhaligha


Actually the opposite is true.

When I was in campus, long long long time ago, I was a pick up broker.

I used to buy tomatoes from farmers, hire a pick up and sell in marikiti.

I discovered that I was selling more than all my competitors combined simply because the farmers trusted me.

Just when they were starting the farms, they couldn't afford their inputs. So as I was passing by going to buy tomatoes in another town, I'd stop, buy the farmer a few tuskers and buy him his inputs. No contracts.

Trust me, harvest season, I used to go for 3 trips in a day in a pickup. My competitors could only go for 1 trip in 2 days.

They used to tell someone, "mapengo amakuja, mwaga nyanya yangu".

So yes, there's a risk of not following a contract but that's business and you take note of that. But most of the time, the guys who go with you make you more than than the greedy ones.

My marikiti brokers were the happiest. I paid them less but my pick up never entered the market without it fully booked. Sales were made when queuing. So my 22 crates were fully booked before I entered marikiti.

So I'd send the pickup back to the farm for more and stay and talk to the mzees in that market. Trust me, they own the market.

Even after becoming kiash, when I land in Subukia, Mwea, Embu, Loitoktok, even now, they ask, unakuja kununua lini?

Suppy chain. Get the farmer the market.

I see kabazi canners in Nakuru buying the worst ugliest most rotten tomatoes for peanuts then selling you their tomatoe sauce. Haki, I can't take that sauce. I know too much.

Farmers need to get into the suppy chain. Otherwise they are just employees. That's what we are trying to build. geofrey, send your email. We should have a sample farm ready in January. Waiting for something to come by ship from south africa. But we are going to use that as a sample of what we want to scale.


Sent you an email to emasaa 80 at yahoo.com
Divers - can you laugh in scuba gear, or will you drown? I was wondering. - James May.
point
#17 Posted : Wednesday, January 06, 2016 2:35:07 PM
Rank: New-farer


Joined: 8/23/2015
Posts: 64
Location: nairobi
Alma,

hit me on pointkenya@gmail.com
rico14
#18 Posted : Tuesday, January 12, 2016 10:32:50 PM
Rank: Hello


Joined: 9/30/2014
Posts: 7
alma1 wrote:
Rollins if you are serious, we are doing something come January which your 3 acres can benefit from.

My experience with most farmers is that they think about the produce first before thinking about the market. The watermelon market is controlled by the brokers in Marigiti. Now unless you know someone there, even though you make 1 m, someone else shall make 1 m from your 5 months of sweat.

Be wise with farming.

If you are really serious about going into it, get in touch. 3 acres is too much for a first time farmer without a distribution network.

You will end up like those guys who sell watermelons on their pickups in every estate.

Farming is not for the weak at heart. It is no longer the place for get rich quick schemes. It's a serious business.

Today I visited a very young guy's farm in Ruaka. Yes, Ruaka. Only 1/4 acre rented. By April, the guy shall be making more than the so called Bank managers. Why? Because he's got his whole supply chain in check.

Talk to me, you will be shocked to see what the business people are doing with less than half an acre as the farmers are still planting sijui 3 acres of watermelons.

Let my first post be directed towards you.
I am young guy thinking of diving into farming with rented farm but am not sure on what to start with so if you could take me on one of those trips would be great.
Just trying to come up with business ideas.
alma1
#19 Posted : Thursday, January 14, 2016 8:17:33 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 9/19/2015
Posts: 2,871
Location: hapo
Ok guys

I just could not be able to reply to all the emails sent to me. They were very many and since this was the first week of planning this, I may not have been able to reply to all of you.

Please note first that is not my business addy. Have to do that coz you know, you have to be careful.

As for the plan. The team has met a few of the wazuans who I was able to reply to. We wanted to meet more but unfortunately life is not a straight line.

Give me this weekend to relax and I promise to reply to all of you individually.
Thieves are not good people. Tumeelewana?

Edyj
#20 Posted : Saturday, January 16, 2016 9:28:07 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 6/15/2010
Posts: 126
As @alma says, farming is not for the faint hearted, and requires close supervision. i had an acre for a start under watermelon, harvested Late August 2015, all was going well until the farmhand decided to play around with fuel for irrigation at the productive (fruit) stage. i ended up getting just melons averaging 3KG, that when it dawned on me that a KG is not just a KG, the smaller the melons the lower the price of the melon..... no matter the quality of the melon. its also at this point that the brokers go for the Jugular vein knowing this is a perishable product, they all collude and determine the price offered.

As @alma states think about the whole supply chain before getting a hoe.

my two cents from experience.
"The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score". - Bill Copeland

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