High demand for basil in European has opened a window of opportunity for farmers in Nakuru County who are now earning up to Sh200,000 a month in exports.
Basil is a versatile aromatic herb in the mint family whose multiple health and nutritional benefits has made it a hit internationally.
Working with Premier Seeds Limited, the farmers are switching from the traditional cereal farming to the perennial herb.
International buyers say East Africa meets a paltry 15 per cent of their demand for the herb even as markets continue to balloon following discovery of new uses of the herb.
“The markets have expressed insatiable appetite for the herb. With our first farmers, we are producing 1.6 tonnes of basil against a demand of six tonnes per month from the importer we work with. The onus is on us to sell us more, the markets keep telling us,” said Simon Andys the founder of Premier Seeds.
For maximum output, the herb is grown in greenhouses. Farmers meet the cost of constructing the greenhouses through a financing agreement with financial institutions.
To help farmers meet international standards, Premier Seeds is training them to adhere to good agricultural practices like Global GAP and EureGap. Such farming practices include pest management and pesticides use, use of certified propagated materials and traceability.
“We take time to explain to the farmers we are working with, that the export market is very particular about the quality of the produce we sell to them. That will be determined by what they do in the farm. We are glad the farmers have taken this to heart,” said Andys.
Buyers also make ad hoc visits to farms to track the growing conditions of the herbs.
A health-conscious middle class is driving the growth of culinary herbs and spices in the international markets. The market needs currently stand at $2.3 billion according to data from the International Trade Centre.
Key markets include the EU which in 2013 imported 302,000 tonnes of spices and herbs from developing countries like Kenya worth € 1 billion.