By MaryAnne Musilo

A Loitoktok maize farmer has lifted his income up to five-fold in a double leap in seeds and how he harvests, triggered by a move to selling green maize to maize oil processors across the border in Tanzania.

Antony Ketukei was, for long, a relatively low-yield producer. He was using Suntory seeds, which typically deliver around 20 sacks of 90kg per acre, but getting about half that.

“I used to plant maize and let it dry to sell the grains, making about Sh30,000 an acre, because I used to harvest around 10 sacks of 90kg per acre. I have 5 acres. But six years ago, I shifted focus to selling green maize,” said Antony.

Tanzanian buyers, ready to source from him because he was close to the border, were happy to harvest the crop themselves and transport it, saving Antony harvesting and transport, and this was his initial target.

But a change of seed, and the new pricing, have ended up delivering far more than that.

“I now earn around Sh150,000 per acre, although prices fluctuate and can sometimes fall to Sh60,000 or rise to Sh80,000 per acre,” he said.

The main buyer, Green Crop Tanzania, a major agricultural exporter, sets the prices and uses the green maize for processing into cooking oil and other products. But they required that Antony change seed.

“The buyers prefer the Pioneer variety, which takes 3 months to mature for harvest. We don’t have contracts, but the buyers come in time for harvest, and this is possible because we are at the border,” said Antony.

Farmers growing green maize for markets like Tanzania need varieties that mature quickly and withstand local stresses. Pioneer maize seeds fit this profile well. But it is also a much higher yield variety than Suntory.

“The Pioneer variety is drought tolerant and disease resistant and this reduces the risk of crop failure in semi-arid environments like Loitoktok. We mainly rely on irrigation for a reliable production,” said Antony.

Pioneer typically produces almost twice the yield of Suntory, at around 40 bags per acre, but Antony no longer knows how much each acre is yielding.

“We don’t weigh the green maize. They harvest the whole cob and even three can be a kilo. They buy it by the acre, but my payments are a lot higher than they were,” said Antony.

Pioneer can also have three seasons in a year, but Antony prefers having only two.

“I only plant two seasons, alternating maize with onions, to manage the soil pH and maximise land use. This enhances both soil health and income potential,” he said.

He also hits challenges when livestock such as cows and sheep get into fields, causing losses to the green maize, and with water.

“Reliance on gas-powered pumps for irrigation raises my production costs and adds pressure when water supplies are low. For example, the production cost is normally Sh30,000, but at times gets to Sh40,000, since gas is expensive,” he said.

Trans Nzoia farmer group captures international maize markets

Drought tolerant maize variety matures in three months ready for fresh green market

When he gets paid less rather than more, he doesn’t know if it’s because his yield was less or the Tanzanian prices fell per kg. But “at times, it is really bad that we get the exact cash we invested. The buyer’s payment per acre is not standard,” he said.

His main buyer,Green Crop Tanzania, sources a range of agricultural produce from farms, including maize, pulses, spices, and processes them, some of them into oils, for export to regional and international markets.

For Antony, the biggest difference their buying has made is in delivering whole-acre harvesting and sales and in the seed change they asked for and the big jump in his revenues.

Are you a farmer looking to grow the most profitable crop on your farm, with or without irrigation. Use FarmBizAfrica’s HarvestMAX on https://harvestmax.farmbizapps.com and it will tell you in less than a minute what the highest income-earning crops are for your weather, soil type and this season, based on your seasonal weather forecast. Don’t make weather losses ever again, and more than triple your income.