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The Indian medicine fertiliser doubling flower companies’ exports 

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By Francis Ndirangu

Flower companies are abandoning costly chemical fertilisers for homemade liquid organic manure, doubling their production by reducing the acidity of their dying soils caused by decades of chemical fertiliser use. 

Jeevamrut (life medicine) fertiliser which has its roots in India and is used on all crops has increased Galaxy Flower Limited’s daily gypsophila flower exports from 10,000 to 20,000 stems per day.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 5.4 kg of acidity is added per hectare each year by farmers in the country’s main food producers; Central, Western, Rift Valley, and Eastern. These regions which receive 2,000mm of rainfall annually and have rich soils are seeing their agricultural output drop as their soil acidity increases from years of applying store-bought fertiliser. Today, 60 per cent of Kenya’s acidic soils (have a pH of less than 6.5) are found in these four parts of the country. This is a threat to Kenya’s food security because most of the crops we eat grow best in soils with a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0. 

According to research, Jeevamrut is the best alternative to chemical fertiliser. It gives the soil ‘life’ by multiplying friendly bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea in the soil increasing crop yield reducing soil pH and dependence on chemical fertiliser. Over time, the low-cost fermented fertiliser which can be made in four to seven days makes the soil less acidic.

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Similar to the rest of the country’s farmers, Kenya’s flower sector has seen its cost of production increase exponentially in recent years which according to the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) has been driven by high farm inputs, energy, and labour costs.

According to Gideon Kariuki, Galaxy’s production manager, Jeevamrut has doubled its flower and fruit production since they started using it two years ago. The organic fertiliser has also improved their soil’s drainage and soil PH. 

“Before we started using this organic fertiliser our soil was very acidic because we had only used chemical fertilisers on the farm. We’d suffered a lot trying to bring back our soil to a good pH because our yield had gone too low but now we are back to huge production,”Mr Gedion said.

The company which is located in Laikipia along Nyahururu Rumuruti highway makes 200 liters of Jeevamrut by pouring five liters of molasses in a drum which can store at least 200 liters. Water is added while stirring until the drum is half full. 10 kg cow dung is then added to the mixture and mixed thoroughly until you get a slurry. Five kilograms of cattle urine is added to the slurry and stirred. More water follows before gradually adding five kilograms of milled bean flour to the solution as you mix. Two handfuls of topsoil and two handfuls of ash are added to the concoction and it’s stirred. The tank is filled with water as you continue stirring clockwise and anticlockwise.

Finally, the solution is covered with a sack and left for 7 days while being stirred twice a day in the morning and in the evening. After one week, the organic fertiliser which can be used with irrigation water as fertigation is ready to be used.

Jeevamrut is used by mixing the solution in a ratio of 1:4. This is one liter of jeevamrut with four liters of water. It is apply at the base of the crops. Drips and other irrigation systems can be used in large scale farming or watering can be done with jerry cans can be used in small scale farming. 

Jeevamrut should not come into contact with leaves since it will scorch them.

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According to the production manager, organic fertiliser boosts crop yield by supplying nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium which are highly needed during the growing season.

“It also helps in pest control by producing an unpleasant smell which pests such as caterpillars and thrips do not like thus chasing them away from your farm,” he explained.

Photo Courtesy: Jivamrut Organic Slurry


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