Tricks to slice through thick onion market

Ken Kamau sorts onions at his stall at Wakulima market in Nairobi on September 26, 2019.[Denish Ochieng,Standard]

Even though onion prices hit lowest in 2020 due to the pandemic, with a kilo going for as low as Sh20, the crop is still worth giving a shot.

In Kenya, almost every meal is cooked with onions, some even go a notch high and make “kachumbari”. This definitely shows that there is demand for onions.

Denis Kyalo, a farmer from Emali in Makueni County who has grown the crop for a while, says it has good prospects. 

Mr Kyalo says the best time to farm onions is during the short rains, so that a farmer can harvest either in January or February.

Onions perform well in well-drained, fertile, sandy loam, non-compacted soils. The ideal pH is 5.8 to 6.8. Onion farming is a worthy venture since it’s possible to grow onions throughout the year through irrigation. For high yields, he says, a soil test from a trusted laboratories is key.

The ideal temperatures for onions to grow and thrive is between 13 and 35 degrees Celsius.

“Kenya still imports onions from Tanzania. During this time, there is limited supply of onions from Tanzania, this can translate to increased cost,” says Kyalo.

Planting

Depending on the piece of land, make a raised nursery bed, mix manure with DAP fertiliser at a rate of about 20 grams per square metre. Note that a soil test will inform how fertiliser application is done.

“Make shallow furrows 15 cm apart. Mix the seeds with dry ash, sand or soil at a ratio of one to three to help spread the small seeds. Plant the seeds and cover lightly with soil and apply mulches,” he advises.

After planting, the nursery bed needs to be irrigated for the first ten days regularly.

The seed will take about seven to ten days to sprout after which the mulches should be removed and used to make a shade over the plants as they continue to develop.

“Transplanting of the seedlings takes place six weeks after planting seeds in the nursery. Transplant when the seedlings have pencil thick base and a height of approximately 15cm,” advices Kyalo.

He says: “Seedlings should have three to five well-formed leaves at transplanting time. Two weeks before transplanting reduce the shade to improve seedling survival rate in the field.”

It takes about three months for onions to mature.

Returns

Kyalo says if the basics are done right, an acre of land can produce 16,000kg to 20,000kg of onions.

He sells his onions at Sh50 per kilo of bulb onions. The best and popular varieties in Kenya are Jambar F1, Red Pinoy F1, Red Comet F1, Red passion F1.

“If you sell the crop at Sh20 per kilo, your revenue will be Sh400,000 in just five months. The cost of production usually goes to an average of Sh120,000 per acre,” he says.

He sells at nearby markets and to customers who visit the farm.

“I will make a killing when these prices start going up. I believe this is likely to happen soon.”