By Prudence Minayo
Cabbages are a staple in most households around the country. Not only are they affordable and easy to prepare but they also pair well with a lot of dishes and are nutritious.
During an interview with a local publication in January 2023, John Kinyua revealed that he made good profits from the sale of cabbages. He told those planning to get into this business to simply take the risk as while it was hard, the returns are good.
Getting the cabbages
He ventured into the business five years ago and purchases the cabbages from South and Central Imenti in Meru. They are then sold in the Chuka open air market where it takes up to three days to sell out.
Once he runs out, he re-purchases them from Meru. The vendor has to hire a lorry to ferry the vegetables to Chuka. It costs him Sh5,000 depending on the tonnage of the vehicle.
While he still manages to earn a good profit, ferrying them from Meru to Tharaka Nithi county cuts into his profit as he has to pay cess fees to both counties.
Profits
While the cabbages are sold at an affordable price, he still makes good returns from them, especially in high seasons. When they are in high demand, he has to hire people to help him with the sale.
He then pays them Sh7,500 at the end of the month. He said he enjoys creating employment opportunities for the youth, hence, when the cabbages are selling rapidly, he employs helpers.
However, he can’t afford to employ more than one worker during the low season. One of his biggest clients are hotels around the county. Selling them ensures he makes a profit of at least Sh20,000 weekly.
In peak season, especially the festive period, he said his earnings range from Sh20,000 to Sh50,000 on a weekly basis.
Challenges
One of the major challenges he and other vendors faced was Covid-19. This rendered a lot of people jobless and many got into the business making competition stiff.
While sales at the time declined, they
have since picked up. Since he purchases the cabbages from a broker, it can at times be an expensive affair. During the sales, he has to factor in the payment of the broker and farmer since the later is paid depending on the pieces of cabbages sold.
Buying from a broker means he makes Sh10 per cabbage. This amount could double if he were to buy directly from the source.
In the future, he hopes to maximize his earnings by growing cabbages. He said that the vegetables require enough attention as they can easily go bad if the climate is not right
