How Profitable is Cabbage Farming?

Farming can be a very profitable activity. The type of soil, climate and produce you want to cultivate are the main factors to decide whether you make a profit or you lose money from farming. Let’s find out if and how profitable cabbage farming is!

Location and climate

Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that can easily adapt to various growing conditions, and is also nutritious. The location is closely related to soil type and climate. The best environment for this vegetable crop is a cold and moist one. The best soil pH for having a high crop yield is between 5.5 and 6.5.

Kenyans enjoy eating cabbage because it can be turned into a variety of dishes, even when using a single head. This means buying less food overall. Taking these aspects into consideration, it’s worth starting a cabbage farm in Kenya.

Additionally, Kenya has a dry season and the rainy season. Cabbages are in higher demand during the dry season, which causes their price to increase. This leafy vegetable is found in abundance when the rainy season comes around, and as such the price drops. Planning the crop to have cabbage for sale when the price is high, ensures a nice profit.

Type of cabbage

There are several varieties of cabbage with some of them being better adapted to a warmer climate, yet all of them prefer direct sunlight. Selecting a type of cabbage best suited for the weather will also ensure a high crop yield. Additionally, the heads will also grow bigger.

Speaking of size and growing conditions, there are a few things to remember. One of them is that the bigger the cabbage head grows, the less plants you can have on your farm. Let’s consider you have one hectare of land for your cabbages. We notice how many you can grow depending on how big they are:

• Large heads: between 40 000 and 45 000
• Medium heads: between 55 000 and 65 000
• Small (baby) heads: between 80 000 and 100 000

Depending on demand, the large heads could sell out faster than their smaller counterparts. During the higher demand season, one could earn more money from growing the smaller ones, if the price is set per weight.

Calculating your profit

You should first know how much you’re going to spend on growing your cabbages and what is the approximate price you can sell them for. The difference is your profit, on which you might have to pay taxes as well.

The money you spend on growing cabbage includes:

• The price of the seeds
• How long it takes for the plant to mature. Different types will mature at a different pace.
• The price of the fertilizer. This also depends on the type of fertilizer. Do know you need to fertilize the soil both before planting and during the growth period.
• Water and time spent to care for the plants.
• Solutions to control the pests and diseases as these can affect the whole plant, making it unusable.
• The tools you use and their maintenance
• If you hire people to help, their payment must also be taken into consideration here.
• The distance between the farm and the selling point.

Conclusion

To be successful in cabbage farming, you need to be well prepared and do your research. The best thing about growing cabbages is that even inexperienced individuals can get it right from the first try, due to the plant being able to adapt to a variety of conditions.