This is the password for maize production in Kenya.
Lets talk babycorn.
I have grown babycorn for years above numbers and these are my facts.
1. Spacing 15 cm from seed to seed and 75 cm between the rows on a bed
2. Number of plants per row = 666 (not the Anti-Christ )
3. Number of plants per bed =666 ×2= 1333.
4. No of beds per ha is 64.
5. Total plant population per ha 85,312.
6. Average yields per ha 8000 kgs (8 Tonnes)
7. No of combs per kg =16
8. Total combs in 8 tonnes = 128,000
9. Average combs per stalk =1.5
NB; A kg of grain is made up of an average of 4 combs from 6 series varieties .
If Babycorn is allowed to mature , it forms combs but due to babycorn varieties the maize combs are usually small .
Babycorn stalks at 15cm spacing do not in anyway look incapable of supporting a bigger comb judging from the stalk girth at the bottom.
So if one was to plant any six series or pioneer or any other maize using 15 cm , I have no doubt that the combs would be normal.
Lets now do the Math.
Lets assume that combs would be thinner anyway and instead of 4 combs per kilo lets use 7 combs for 1 kg of grain .
128000 combs /7=18,285 kg of grains
How many 90 bags are these =18,285/90
=203 bags per ha or 81 bags per acre
Average fertilizer that I have used on babycorn.
DAP 300kgs
CAN 200kgs
17.17.17 300(not been using this for babycorn but i would use it for grain maize .
Cost per acre for growing maize under irrigation is 60,000.
As you can see , this would translate to less than ksh 740 per bag. Selling this bag at ksh 1500 would therefore be a good profit .
That’s why I always insist that hunger in Kenya is usually by design and the price for maize per bag should never surpass ksh 2000 mark.
