The Most profitable Crops to Grow Today

 

To many people, farming has been reserved for people living in rural areas and those with large tracts of land. Success stories of wealthy farmers dominate Kenyan media regularly, but most tales involve heavy spending and a big workforce. This article will make it easy for you to find the crop with highest profit per acre in Kenya while providing important details of its cultivation process. Vegetables and fruits are the best profitable option for farmers, but require thoroughness and a constant assessment from a professional especially for upcoming farmers. Nonetheless, some crops such as passion fruit might not require that much attention compared to apples or tomatoes for a first timer. For starters, a yield of 50,000 kilograms has once been recorded in Kenya. With a kilo going for 50 shillings that farmer made Ksh. 2,500,000. Here is a more in-depth look at some of the most lucrative crops to grow in Kenya.  

Passion fruit farming 

It is considered the most profitable fruit to grow seeing it gives its income within the first year and does not require much space. Not to mention, their trees keep producing fruit for over three years. Starting your passion fruit business does not require a lot of capital either, all that is needed is the land, supplies, and money for seedlings. Grafted passion fruit seedlings are often the best bet seeing they enable an otherwise weak passion fruit seedling to adapt to a harsher environment. The demand for fresh juice, as opposed to their carbonated counterparts, is partly to blame for the surge in demand for passion fruit. However, in spite of the high demand, supply is still limited. Passion fruit yields are very high and if maintained properly with farmers making well over two million shillings from a single hectare. Also, passion fruit does not take much time to mature and ripen though the period varies with every crop.  As such, you can harvest your fruit weekly and monitor profits as well as your crops progress with ease. For small-scale farmers, some of the best places to sell passion fruit include supermarkets, local marketplaces, and grocery stores.

Strawberry farming

 Just like passion fruit, strawberries can grow almost everywhere in Kenya as long as temperatures do not exceed 30 degrees. Similarly, 10 degrees Celsius or lower is considered too low for strawberries to grow. If properly maintained, a quarter of an acre can bring profits of well over 100,000 shillings. Strawberry farming options are also flexible with both the open field and greenhouse options open for consideration. It might not be the most profitable crop but it is very close thanks to its attractive returns on investment. 

Garlic farming 

Garlic also has a high profit per acre return seeing a quarter of an acre can yield well over 2.5 tons. One kilogram of garlic goes for roughly two hundred shillings and there is demand both locally and internationally. With such high returns, garlic cultivation is arguably the most profitable farming business in Kenya. Despite the high yield, farming garlic requires sufficient skills, research, and a lot of training for success. Once you get the right variety, profits take only six months to reflect. 

Lettuce farming 

Lettuce is a highly nutritious vegetable that can be cultivated locally but is mostly sold outside the country. Lettuce farming is almost similar to cultivating kale. The only difference is the former requires more expertise and attention. You can grow lettuce on a small piece of land and enjoy high profits considering a lettuce broccoli head goes for around a hundred shillings. In a good month, you can make well over 150,000 shillings from a quarter of an acre.

 Mushroom farming  

Mushroom farming might be new to some Kenyans but it is not to others who make thousands of shillings every month off of the crop. It is on our most profitable crop per acre list because it takes up little space, is highly favored for export, and always has a high demand. A quarter of an acre is enough for incubation and cropping and leaves a lot of vertical space to work with. This space can produce roughly two tons of mushroom with a kilogram going for 600 shillings; thats 1.2 million shillings in a month or so. 

Dhania 

Dhania is among the most profitable vegetables to grow in Kenya due to its high demand. A thousand shillings is enough to purchase the seeds but a lot more is required for labor during planting and harvesting. A quarter or half an acre would be a nice start but for best results, try an acre. It gives you the maximum yield and can guarantee roughly 40,000 every month minus expenses. 

Onion farming

 Onions have experienced a surge in export potential since 2016 and many farmers have used this crop to up their profits since. A hectare can produce roughly 17 tons with proper management with a kilogram going for around 70 shillings depending on the season. Onions also take about three months to harvest meaning you can cultivate them three times a year making them one of the most valuable crops to grow. 

Tomato farming 

Tomatoes are a very lucrative crop but their cultivation requires an expert skills. Nonetheless, you can cultivate a high yield over a small tract of land and get high returns.

Certain varieties of tomato such as the Anna F1 do not take long to mature and can yield well over 30 tons per acre. Tomato keep fluctuating in the country especially due to cheap imports from neighboring countries but proper timing can guarantee massive profits.

Capsicum farming

Just like tomato, capsicum belongs to the nightshade family. As such, high temperatures will reduce their yield and crop rotation is not possible for crops of the same family. However, they both have a high profit per acre return and they can be cultivated in the open field or a greenhouse. Production costs per acre are roughly 120,000 shillings but sales for the same can surpass the half a million shilling mark.

Cabbage farming

Cabbage is arguably the most profitable crop per acre on our list and in Kenya at the moment. In a good season, an acre of cabbage can hold roughly 19,000 plants. Going by the current market price, such a number can comfortably fetch a farmer half a million shillings. The reason cabbages are such a high-income earner is their ability to mature in two months. Proper land management can guarantee even three harvests per year. If you are in search of the crop with highest profit per acre in Kenya, any of the crops on this list are great options and will give you amazing profits.