ONION TRADERS PANEL

A million?

 

Mention this to anyone and they may well give you a quizzled look in disbelief. YES!! returns of up to 1.4 million are possible from just an acre of onions. This though highly depends on various important factors that we shall mention before we do our gross margin annaylisis for an acre of onions. After you understand the factors, you will be able to verify that this returns are very much possible within just 4 months of onion cultivation on 1 acre.

 

1. VARIETY

This is very important as is considered the primary factor that determines yield. If you fail in selecting the best variety, you will fail in yield as well. There are over one hundred varieties today in kenya but about a selected 5 can give you the mentioned returns. Varity actually determines shelf life,pungency and market quality hence should be considered as the primary factor. Talking of varieties,this is a wide topic and you may want to verse yourself with more information regarding onion varieties. Download a complete copy or guide to onion varieties grown in kenya and best yielding varieties so far.

 

2. SOIL PH

For onions, soil ph can hugely affect yields in onion farming. Onions do well in PH of 5.8 - 6.5. Lower PH levels can result into problems with regard to uptake of micronutrients. In such cases, Soil amendments should be done adding well decomposed FYM[ Farm Yard Manure] or Lime at the rate of 2500kgs/Ha 8-12wks prior to planting. Lime requires time to react with acid soils to raise the PH. Onions can be produced on a wide range of soil types although heavy soils may lead to avariety of problems such as bad aeration, crusting and a blemished product of lower quality. However if the PH is above 6.5 it may take up to 3 years to bring it back to normal with heavy manure applications. To maintain your Soil Ph, ensure you apply 30 tonnes/acre of manure every year.

 

3. WATER

Onion farming needs alot of water, about 500-700mm rainfall for it to yield well. Regular irrigation is important in semi arid areas.

 

Rainfall and humidity are important factors during the Seedling stage. Onions demand high moisture until plants start to mature followed by a dry period necessary when bulb ripening is in progress. Cool and wet conditions may cause fungal diseases. Onions need Distributed rainfall of 500mm-700mm followed by a dry period for best yielding.

 

When the above factors are considered, especially with hybrid varieties, yields of up to 25 tonnes are possible. Get the cost breakdown and Gross margin analysis HERE