With many Kenyans exploring farming as a means of survival, Wilson Baya, a visionary farmer, began his journey with five acres parcel of land.
However, through his dedication and hard work, he has successfully transformed his venture into a sprawling 48-acre pineapple paradise by the year 2020.
Baya, who once worked as a land broker, had a fateful encounter during a field tour when he stumbled upon pineapple farms, igniting a newfound interest within him.
“Initially, I used to work as a land broker, and one day during a field tour, I saw pineapples in some farms, and developed interest,” Baya said in an earlier interview.
Baya used to grow tomatoes, maize, and bananas, but when he realized that pineapples are more profitable, he began growing them immediately.
In 2012, armed with a Ksh48,000 investment, Baya acquired 8,000 pineapple suckers to kickstart his venture on the initial five acres.
This initial step paved the way for an inspiring trajectory of growth.
By June 2013, he had expanded to 15 acres, driven by the success of his first pineapple harvest.
“In June, 2013, I put another 10 acres under cultivation after making good earning from the produce. I cut suckers from the initial crops, and planted them, making a total of 15 acres,” he said.
The financial windfall from the first five acres was noteworthy.
Baya’s ingenuity and hard work earned him Ksh400,000 per acre, reaping a total of Ksh2 million from this modest start.
Bolstered by his earnings, he became resolute in his ambition to scale up.
The subsequent years saw him progressively expanding his pineapple empire, eventually amassing an impressive 48 acres of thriving pineapple plants.
While Baya’s specific pineapple variety remains unnamed due to his avoidance of agrovets for seedlings, the locally referred-to “mwanazi” or Magarini sweet pineapple is a staple of his success.
“Since we don’t buy the seeds from agrovets, I can’t tell you the variety we grow, but locally, we call it mwanazi,” said the farmer.
As of 2020, he boasted about having 384,000 pineapple plants on his 48-acre farm.
His commitment to an eco-friendly approach is evident through the omission of fertilizers and pesticides in his cultivation practices.
Baya’s pineapples are drought resistance, relying primarily on rainfall for irrigation.
The region’s fertile soil further contributes to creating an optimal environment for these tropical delights to thrive.
Meanwhile, Market accessibility and demand are crucial for any business’s success, and Baya’s venture has excelled in this aspect.
Market challenges have been a rarity for him.
His produce finds eager buyers from various corners, including Malindi, Kongowea in Mombasa, Kilifi, and even local customers.
The demand is strong, enabling him to sell all his harvest without stress.
To further illustrate the demand, customers frequently come to his farm to harvest the pineapples themselves.
In addition to selling fully ripe pineapples, Wilson Baya taps into yet another revenue stream: pineapple suckers.
At Ksh10 each, a sale of 30,000 suckers in 2020 resulted in a single-day revenue of Ksh300,000.
His thriving enterprise enabled him to purchase a Ksh2.4 million tractor, which he deploys for farm excavation services, adding an extra layer of income diversification.