“Make it spicy” or “no spices please” are phrases you have heard or even used on several occasions when ordering in restaurants or in family events.
Herbs and spices are plant substances that used to make medicine, perfumes, food flavours, colouring and preservatives.
Venturing into agribusiness, especially in herbs and spices, can be very profitable if you put in the required effort.
William Gitau, a Kiambu-based agripreneur, mostly concentrates on the planting of herbs and spices in his farm. He also focuses on reaching out to farmers with limited spaces, who need to venture into agribusiness.
Benefits of farming herbs and spices
- Good in resisting hostile environment : Herbs and spices can do well in any weather type
- Require little space
- Many health benefits
- Can be used as decorations
- Financially rewarding
- Mature fast
In order to venture in the business of planting herbs and spices, you do not need too much space.
The good news is that, you can plant them in your kitchen garden.
Some of the herbs and spices you can grow in your backyard which have multiple uses include: basil, mint, rosemary, oregano, coriander, parsley, among others.
Health benefits
Different herbs and spices have many health benefits and can be used as natural remedies for various diseases.
FYI,this cold weather, you can use mint to protect yourself from catching a cold.
If you want to add a touch of green or nature-like feel to your space, you can use herbs and spices to decorate your room.
The room will not only look beautiful but will also add fresh scent to your room.
Financial rewards
Planting of these crops does not need to much capital because many of the seedlings are easily accessible from fellow farmers.
Also the maintenance cost is not high, since the herbs and spices do not need insecticides.
Mature fast
Seedlings are not easily accessible in the market. For farmers who want to start planting, it is advised that they get other farmers already farming the same in order to get seedlings.
Take a shorter time to be ready for harvest. Most spices take 3-5 months to grow and after harvest, you can either consume them raw or dry them.
Therapeutic
Cultivation of these plants can be a therapeutic exercise for people living with disabilities.
While taking care of the plants, which is a light task, they end up contributing to their household and in return make them feel useful.
The downside
If you want to venture in the agribusiness that focuses on production of herbs and spices, it is important to identify a market for your products before starting.
Many people prefer processed spices and the raw spices may not be very useful to some people.
The plants are organic and they do not need use insecticides for maintenance, therefore, you need to always weed the plants and protect them from being infested by insects.
Tips
But just before you get started, it is important to carry out research and join other farmers involved in the business.
Before you invest in any planting of spices, make a point of getting all the useful information on the farming, maintenance, use and even the market.
Given that most herbs and spices do not have seedlings readily available, set out to look for fellow farmers who are planting the crop in order to get seedlings, additional advice and help when you start.
If you were thinking of venturing into agribusiness, I think you should consider spices and herbs.
