By Lyzzie Owade

Seed companies have launched Pakchoi seeds in Kenya that have opened a crop opportunity earning twice the price of Sukuma Wii and sometimes as much as Sh120 per kilo for a 45-day crop from seed.

For many years, pakchoi seed was not available in Kenya. Farmers who wanted to grow it depended on personal connections to China, which limited production to a few growers. But with the launch of the seeds by Royal Seeds and Continental, Kenyan farmers are now quickly expanding into the crop.

George Njenga, a farmer in Limuru, has grown pakchoi for ten years after learning how to grow it while working on a Chinese-owned farm in Narok.

“I started by growing only a small area because getting the seeds was a problem and I used to get them from a Chinese colleague on the farm where I was working. Today things have changed and the seeds are common because some companies in Kenya have started producing them, making them available,” Njenga said.

He said when he returned to Limuru, seed access was his biggest problem because pakchoi seed was not sold in Kenya at that time.

“I was struggling to find the seeds because my friend on the farm had travelled to China to see his family,” he said.

Because he could not get pakchoi seed, Njenga started with traditional vegetables, but the returns were very low.

“Most of my neighbours were growing traditional crops like kales and cabbage,” he said.

“But I quickly stopped growing kales because the return was very poor. From my first harvest I made only Sh500 from 50kg on a 30-by-100 bed,” with prices for sukuma wiki falling as low as Sh10 per kg.

The lack or earnings pushed him back into Pakchoi and “after planting, my neighbours started asking how to prepare it, and that is how I got customers around here”

“When the market is good the price can go up to Sh120 per kg. On my farm I harvest up to 70kg in a month, which I sell within a week when demand is high. Most of my customers are villagers, and I also sell to traders who take it to the market,” he said.

The crop matures quickly. “From a bed of 30m by 100m, I can harvest up to 70kg,” he said.

The market has grown, but prices fall when many farmers harvest at the same time. “During bad seasons, the price can drop to Sh20 per kg when many farmers have the crop, which pushes the price down,” he said.

“Pakchoi has many health benefits, with many farmers now growing it because it is eaten by Kenyans, as well as Chinese consumers. This helps in marketing and means it does not go to waste, unsold on the farm,” he said.

But the variable price has seen him also move other Asian and specialist vegetables to spread his risk, and he now also grows white carrot, Chinese cabbage, lettuce and Italian spinach, which are all short-cycle crops where dead is spreading.

But Pakchoi remains his core crop. “Just like other vegetables, pakchoi does well in loamy soil. You need to mix the soil well with manure to get good yields,” he said.

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“I plant one seed per hole. Some people raise seedlings in a nursery, but I don’t because pakchoi matures in 45 days. When you transplant it, it takes longer and it becomes hard when cooking.”

“What is most important in growing pakchoi is weed control,” he said. But temperatures matter too

“The biggest problem for pakchoi farmers in Limuru is the cold. When there is frost, it affects the growth,” he said.

Pakchoi seed varieties in Kenya

Pak choi Choko F1

Produced by Royal Seed Company

Maturity: 45 days

Yield: 8–10 tonnes per acre

Water: needs consistent and regular watering

Where to buy: Jumia at Sh800; Tropika from Sh170 for 5g

Pak choi Smart

Produced by Continental Seeds

Maturity: 45–50 days

Yield: 8–10 tonnes per acre

Water: needs consistent and regular water supply

Where to buy: Agroduka at Sh147 for 5g or call 0712 723 830

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