Majogi village in Meru County may not be known to many has made a mark in on the global scene through the sale of herbs.
Murori Apex Herbs is the farm behind the exploit.
The five-acre farm produces lemon grass, citronella, hibiscus, sweet purple hibiscus, aloe vera, turmeric, ginger and other medicinal plants.
“I grew maize and beans for a while but was always on the lookout for crops that would fetch better prices. I realised that herbs were on high demand,” farm owner Zachary Murori says.
For lemon grass, Murori plants one stalk per hole. The plants are half a metre apart while the row is half a metre from another. Harvesting is every two to three months.
A citronella stalk is the planting material. One goes into a hole that is a metre apart and 1.5 metres between rows. Like lemon grass, citronella is harvested every two to three months.
For hibiscus, Murori says he often plants the seeds employing a spacing of 0.5metres from one plant to the other, and one metre between rows.
Harvesting is done using secateurs just three months after sowing.
Aloe vera is harvested after 15 months while it takes seven to nine months for tumeric and ginger to mature.
The leaves of the lemon grass and citronella are chopped and put in a drier for three to five days.
Murori then packs the dried leaves according to a customer’s preference.
Hibiscus petals are removed from the plant using secateurs. They are then separated from pods and placed in a drier for five days before being packed.
Sweet purple hibiscus petals are cut and dried for five days and packed according to customers’ requests.
The entire aloe vera leaf is removed from the plant and packed.
Murori digs out turmeric and ginger and cleans the bulbs before packaging them.
The harvests are sold locally and abroad. Prices vary, depending on individual herbs, season and whether is fresh or dry.
A kilo of fresh lemon grass goes for Sh50 to Sh100 while the dried grass is Sh400 to Sh600, with stalks going for Sh100 to Sh200.
The price of citronella fresh leaves ranges from Sh50 and Sh100 a kilo. Dried leaves sell for up to Sh600.
“I sell a kilo of fresh hibiscus for Sh50 to Sh80 while dried petals can go for up to Sh1,250,” the farmer says.
To cut costs, Murori works with his son and hires not more than five people during harvesting.
The greatest challenge facing Murori Apex Herbs is the unpredictable weather attributed to global warming.
To those dreaming of herb farming, Murori advices them to be dedicated and patient.
He hopes to be a leading producer of herbs in Meru and Kenya as a whole.
“I also want to empower communities economically and give them knowledge on herb farming,” Murori says. BY DAILY NATION