Vine spinach, a traditional vegetable that is more commonly known as nderema, is the highest-earner for farmers in Kenya, a new report shows, fetching a price that is more than double that realised from the sale of other greens.
Data from the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) shows that farmers fetched Sh165.27 million from the sale of 2,092 tonnes of Vine Spinach in 2022, translating to an average price of Sh79 per kilogramme--the highest price of any vegetable during the period.
Vine spinach is rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and soluble fibre.
AFA data shows that Turia (Turiya) is the second most lucrative vegetable for farmers. Some 25 tonnes of Turia were sold during the same year bringing in Sh1.32 million in revenues. This means that a kilogramme of the vegetable sold at an average of Sh52.8, making it the second most profitable vegetable after nderema.
Also known as ridge gourd, turia is a popular vegetable among the Asian community in Kenya. Grain Amaranth, a variety of the popular traditional vegetables known as Terere, is the third most lucrative vegetable to grow in Kenya. The vegetable fetched an average price of Sh46.8 per kilogramme in 2022. This is after farmers sold 2,513 tonnes of the vegetable earning them Sh117.74 million.
Other leading profitable vegetables include dudhi (Sh43.7per kilogramme), spider plant commonly known as saga (Sh43.5 per kilogramme), African nightshade, commonly referred to as managu (Sh41.9 per kilogramme) and slender (Sh41.6 per kg).
In terms of volumes, however, cabbage is by far the most sold vegetable in the country, thanks to its versatile uses. Some 1.38 million tonnes of cabbage were sold in 2022, which is more than double any other vegetable. The sales totaled Sh15.8 billion.
Kale, more commonly known as Sukuma Wiki, remains the second most-sold vegetable in Kenya.
AFA data shows that 609,272 tonnes of kale were sold in 2022 for Sh13.39 billion indicating that it is highly demanded and has a ready market.
It is followed by cowpeas which sold 96,298 tonnes fetching a total price of Sh2.69 billion and African nightshade which sold 77,126 tonnes fetching a total of Sh3.2 billion. Further, leaf amaranthus, commonly known as managu, sold 44,320 tonnes at a total cost of Sh1.53 billion.
Other top-selling vegetables during the period were spider plants (30,696 tonnes), okra (16,513 tonnes), and pumpkin leaves (6,395 tonnes).
Fresh vegetables are one of the three fresh produce exported by Kenya and are a key source of foreign exchange. The others are fresh fruits and cut flowers.
In 2023, Kenya exported 164.06 tonnes of vegetables mostly to the European Union (EU), earning Sh50.87 billion.
