MAKING MILLIONS FROM AMARANTH CROP

                                                            Grain Amaranth

Amaranth is popularly known in Kenya as mchicha in the local language or terere. The crop is associated with the poor, but that is slowly changing as locals are realizing the value of the crop. It is grown for its leaves and also for the grains.

Advantages of the Amaranthus crop:

• Low inputs are required for cultivation; these can be grown by the rural poor.
• Easy to harvest.
• Early ripening and high seed/grain production
• Extremely drought tolerant
• High quality, high in protein (lysine and methionine) and high levels of vitamins and fiber.
• Grains are very tasty and can be used raw, boiled, crushed, or ground.
• Other uses include green leaves as vegetables, amaranth oil extract, and animal feed.

Grain Amaranth plant.

Amaranth Cultivation Opportunities     

• Seed production: contract farmers produce seeds.
• Animal feed: cultivation of amaranth for animal feed and manufacturing of animal feed
• In industrial use, squalene is used as an important component of amaranth oil found in skin cosmetics.
• Lubricants used in pharmaceutical industry and computer maintenance.
• Manufacture of household cooking oils.

Ecological Requirements

·        Grows best in loamy or silt clay soils with good water retention.

·        Soil pH ranges from 4.5 to 8.0.

·        Avoid waterlogging.

·        Optimal temperatures are 22–30 degrees C. The crop thrives in hot climates.

·        Altitude requires 0 to 2400 m above sea level.

 

Rainfall/Water Requirement

·        Grows well under rain-fed and irrigation. It has deep roots that reach up to 2 meters in search of water and is therefore drought tolerant.

·        Irrigation should be stopped 15-20 days before maturity.

·        Tall varieties are suitable for areas with high rainfall, while the short varieties are for areas with low rainfall.

Propagation                                                        

·        Amaranth is planted by direct sowing or transplanting. The choice of planting method depends on seed and labor availability and may vary by growing season.

·        The average seed requirement is 1 kg per acre.

·        In direct sowing, the plants grow in rows. Make ridges 0.5 to 1.0 cm deep. For short variety-45cm x 10cm/75 x 90cm while the tall variety-60cm x 20cm

·        Planting should be done when the soil is waterlogged or moist. Spread the compost along the furrows and mix it well with the soil so your plants can get the most out of it.

·        Amaranth seeds were mixed with dry sand or soil in a ratio of 1:10–15 (1 part seed to 10-15 parts sand or soil, volume ratio) to avoid wastage of seeds and sow evenly.

·        The seeds require very little soil cover because if deep planted, germination is delayed, or the seeds may rot.

·        Ashes are used to scare away pests that carry the seeds away before the rain.

·        Germination occurs in 3–6 days, depending on soil moisture and planting method.

Fertilizer application

• Use organic fertilizers to increase yields.
• Use 50 kg of DAP/acre or fertilizer at 6 tons/acre.
• Use 100 kg of DAP per acre on infertile soils. The market prefers organically grown Amaranth.

Weeding        

• Amaranth grows slowly in the first two weeks after germination, but weeds grow faster and overtake it if left unattended.
• First weeding should be done two weeks after seed germination to reduce weed competition.
• The second weeding is best done as soon as weeds emerge after plowing (2-3 weeks after the first weeding).
• Do not use herbicides to control weeds, as amaranth is in the weed family.

Pests and diseases

These include defoliants; leaf worms; cutworms; aphids; flea beetles; weevils

Maturity and Harvest

• Matures after 7-8 weeks.
• Early-ripening (short) varieties mature in 45–60 days; late-ripening (tall) varieties in 70–120 days.
• Average yields are between 800-1200 kg per acre.  

Harvesting

Done at 60-120 days.

Cost of production per acre

Item	Cost Kshs.
Land lease	5,000
Ploughing	3,000
Cost of seeds	2,000
Farmyard manure	1,000
Planting labor	1,000
Watering	6,000
Watchman for two months at the rate of 3,000/-	6,000
Pest and disease control	3,000
Harvesting	3,000
Transport costs	6,000
Contingency	4,000
GRAND TOTAL	40,000

 

Gross profit analysis
Yields Per acre	1,000kgs
Price per kilogram in Kshs.	200
Gross income in Kshs.	200,000
Less expenditure in Kshs.	160,000

 

Assuming the farmer plants 4 seasons in a year since it is under irrigation, the farmer can generate up to Kshs. 640,000(USD 6,400) annually.

Grain Amaranth production can be considered as a high-value crop just like dragon fruit farming, discussed in earlier blogs How to make Kshs. 10M per year through Dragon fruit farming in Kenya (modernfarming101kenya.blogspot.com). This is a viable venture that young people and women can engage in to earn a living. Youths can make use of the ‘Hustler Fund’ promised by our President to implement such projects.