Farmer reaps greatly from arrowroots

Arrowroot plant is a hardy, clump forming perennial plant with thick stalks and large bright leaves. Arrowroot starch is obtained from the roots of the tropical plant. Its tubers contain about 23 percent of starch. 

When its tubers are large and aged, the arrowroots can be quite fibrous. When she returned home from the US a few years ago, Gladys Chania purchased three pieces of land in the sloppy Gatundu North Constituency in Kiambu County.County

Her motivation was to be like a majority of Kenyans who invest in property locally after spending years abroad.She had no immediate plans of farming or developing the plots as the fact of owning land was enough satisfaction.

However, the previous owners had grown arrowroots on the land through which a stream runs. She decided to grow them, besides everyone else seemed to have the crop on their land, thus, it looked the best thing to do.“I never thought arrowroots could earn someone money considering the crop is just left to grow on its own.

Arrowroots

I also had not heard of anyone who had taken arrowroot farming seriously,” .But then it was time for harvesting six months later and the dilemma of where to take the excess produce hit her hard as almost all of her neighbors had the crop on their farms.

A solution came when she talked to her neighbours at her home in Thika town who agreed to be buying from her. So she would have the produce delivered to the estate from where she would distribute to neighbours.

With time, the supply outran the demand and she was forced to look for a bigger market since she was being forced by circumstances to sell the arrowroot at throwaway prices.

She landed a deal with a supply chain store with an outlet in Thika town as well as traders who agreed to be buying her produce on wholesale.With the demand high and the need to be consistent rising, Gladys hired a farm manager and 20 casual labourers who work on the farm, especially during weeding and harvesting.

Today, each plantation in the three plots that make half-an-acre, the size of her farm, fetches her about Sh200,000 a year, making a cool Sh600,000 or more annually.

Six months - To grow arrowroots, dig deep to soften the soil. Holes should be six to 10 inches in depth depending on the size of the stem. Do not put too much soil in the hole since the crops grows upwards and will regularly need more manure and water. In six months, one can get mature arrowroot. 

For larger ones, you can allow eight or ten months depending on the availability of water and enough manure. Weeding is necessary to avoid competition for nutrients from the soil.Joseph Mureithi, the principal at Waruhiu Agricultural Development Centre in Githunguri, says arrowroot farming is a viable venture which if taken seriously can bring huge profits.

“Many people are opting to have the arrowroot for breakfast and I don’t think there is any hotel in the country where you won’t find it because people no longer want bread,”.

The crop, Mureithi said, does not require a lot of farm input since it does not need fertiliser or regular care, making the cost of production minimal.And the crop does not only grow along riverbanks as many farmers believe since it can be grown through moisture farming.

Impressed by the returns, Gladys is planning to increase her plantation this year with a target of making about Sh1.5 million a year.

“I want to increase the plantation to over an acre and also do it in a more advanced way. The venture has proven to be an interesting one since it does not take a lot of your time and the returns are good.

To keep her crop free from contamination, Gladys does not use fertiliser but only organic manure sourced from her farm where she has kept cows, goats and chicken.She encourages more people to practice commercial arrowroot farming, saying the current supply does not meet demand.

Health benefits of arrowroots
-Arrowroots are useful in treating poisoned wounds such as spider bites, snakebites and scorpion stings.
-They are also used to treat gangrene, a condition caused by lack of blood supply to certain areas of the body, which results in tissue decay or death.
-You can relieve toothache by applying a paste of water and arrowroot powder to the affected tooth.
-In addition, arrowroots provide a nutritious diet for people suffering from some diseases such as bladder irritation or during recovery from an illness.
-Include arrowroots in the diet of one convalescing from an illness. 
-Due to their soothing properties, arrowroots are often used to treat bowel problems and also as a digestion aid.
-They are also good for relieving nausea and replenishing nutrients lost through vomiting and diarrhoea.
-Although they are not an antifungal, arrowroots can be made into a powder, which can be used to reduce excess moisture on the feet, since excess moisture can lead to athlete’s foot.
-Arrowroot powder can also prevent skin infection and itching.
-Because they are easily digestible, arrowroots are used as an ingredient in baby foods and foods for the sick and elderly.
-They are also good for people who are low in protein as they contain more protein than other tropical foods such as yams, potatoes and cassava.
-Arrowroots are low in calories and thus good for people trying to lose weight.
-Due to their high levels of potassium, eating them helps to regulate heart beat rate and blood pressure.
-Arrowroots are good for weaning your baby and they can also be made into infant cereal, which is easily digestible.
-In addition,the arrowroot powder can be used to make cookies, biscuits and crackers.

Source: Daily Nation
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