Thread by @Omuami, After being jobless for 7months i decided to join hands with my [...]

After being jobless for 7months i decided to join hands with my good friend @KenJuma on an expansive farming project in Narok 15Acres
We started by getting a market contract, so we were sure that our produce will have market.. https://twitter.com/Omuami/status/1301423873599168512

https://twitter.com/Omuami/status/1301423873599168512

Since i didnt have cash i was to invest my full time whilst had the cash but didn't have the time.
Total cash pumped in was 1.5M for leasing land and operationalizing the project.
so I moved to Narok to oversea everything

French beans takes 60days to mature. By April 2019 we began harvesting our first initial 4Acres then followed by then next block of 5Acres.. In total we harvested 30Tonnes that gave us around 1.2M..
This was successful work done

We went and planted the next phase of 5Acres, and from previous lessons, we didn't plant the whole 5 at a go. so we did 1.5,1.5 and 2acres here another 600K was spent add to the initial lose of 300K... we tried snowpeas also ...

Here is when thing changes. No one had told us that during the harvest for LoT C it would be low season for the international market for french beans, despite the companies agronomist encouraging us to plant..

For the snowpeas we didnt harvest even a single KG despite it costing around 180k. the french beans gave us good output of around 12Tonness but the company only took around 5Tonnes. The rest we had to throw and give the Maasai cows

By now, we started questioning the entire Frenchbeans Thing, @KenJuma decided for him its business and he cant invest where there is no return. As for me I remain with the "This is my passion thing"

... so with around 700K loses now...

We had 3permanent staff getting 33k a month and around 50-60 casuals during harvesting and around 10 consistent ones for weddings and the planting...

Begging of this year (Now alone) i decided to change the company that buys the produce hoping to change the tides and with better experience

so I mobilized around 500k, I planted my 4Acres while spacing them out

The rains earlier in the year happened

at least I broke even on the first 3acres, could absorb the loses coz I had changes the shamba staff team and the rest.

The strategy too couldnt make things better. I thank Allah that after consistently paying so much for farming lessons I have resorted to winding down the project at Narok.

Caveat: There are people who are making money planting frenchbeans(I wish to know what they are doing right)
Farming is not bad is paying but just choose your struggle

Lesons:
1. Farming requires patience
2. Don't do farming when you don't have time for it,(Theshamba people will milk you dry)
3. Learn how to separate Emotions from Business(IF its not making money LEAVE IT)....
@surambaya @wambua1

4. Strive to be go up the farming value chain.(As an investor AVOID farming and be a broker as you pass down all the risks to the farmer)
If you want to invest in farming them be the one to control the market, Don't be a Price Taker
@surambaya @wambua1

5. If anyone is interested in having an NGO that's Not for profit please do french beans in Narok. You will be helping those Mamas and the ecosystem.
@surambaya @wambua1 @KenJuma

As from next year God willing, i would like to do Greenhouse farming but this time I want to serve the local market the farm MUST be close to where I am and my target market
@surambaya @wambua1 @KenJuma @TonwaTai @SheilahBirgen

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