Sweet Potato Profits: How Much Will You Earn From an Acre of Sweet Potatoes in Kenya

How much profit will you earn from an acre of sweet potatoes in Kenya? Here is a simple calculation on the potential profits from sweet potato farming in Kenya based on average produce in our farms in Kabondo.

Cost of the Preparation of Land

• Tilling of Land :-Ksh.2500
• Re-tilling of land:-Ksh.2000
• Preparation of Ridges/Mounds: Ksh.2000

Cost of Vines: 

• To plant an acre of sweet potatoes, you need an average of 20 bags of vines.
• Cost of vines per bag: Ksh.1500
• Cost of 20 bags: Ksh.30,000

Cost of Planting 

• Cost of Planting One Line: Ksh.50
• One acre can have 90-110 lines. Average of about 100 lines.
• Cost of Planting One Acre: Ksh.5000

Cost of Weeding

• One Line Costs Ksh.50
• Cost of Weeding an Acre: Ksh.5000

Cost of Harvesting:

• An acre will yield an average of 20 bags on medium to large sized sweet potatoes the lower side and at least 20 bags of tiny to small sweet potatoes which are still marketable.
• Cost of Cutting Vines in One Acre of Sweet Potatoes: Ksh.2000
• Cost of Digging Up Sweet Potatoes in an Acre: Ksh.3000 using ox-ploughs
• Cost of Picking Sweet Potatoes and Bagging: Ksh.200 per person. You need about 10n people for quick labor. Total Cost is Ksh.2000 at most
• Cost of bags for bagging in the shamba: You need about 50 bags. Cost per bag is Ksh.50. Total Cost is Ksh.2500
• Cost of transporting to the roadside: Ksh.1000 
• Cost of Washing: Ksh.50 per bag. For an acre Ksh.1000
• Cost of Bagging: Ksh.50 per bag. For acre Ksh.1000
• Cost of Loading onto lorries: Ksh.50 per bag. 20 bags is Ksh.1000
• Cost of transportation from Nyanza to Nairobi per bag: Ksh.600. Cost of transporting 20 bags is Ksh.12,000
• Cost of Unloading from lorries in Nairobi: Ksh.100. Cost of unloading 20 bags is Ksh.2000
• Rates Charged by City Council of Nairobi: Ksh.200 per bag. Cost of 20 bags is Ksh.4000

Sweet Potato Marketing

• Current Market Price of Sweet Potatoes (Medium Sized to Large): Ksh.7500 per bag Total Cost for 20 bags: Ksh.150,000
• Current Market Price for small sweet potatoes: Ksh.1000. Total Cost for 20 Bags: Ksh.20,000

Revenues

• Total Revenues: Ksh.170,000
• Total Expenses:Ksh.78,000
• Profits: Ksh.92,000 per acre

The Minimum Profits that you could get per acre if you plant well is Ksh.92,000

NB: Profits could go down if you harvest at the "wrong time" when price per 90kg bag can go down as low as Ksh.4000. Always watch the market price before harvesting. Sweet potatoes can stay in the soil fresh and in good condition for another two months so do not be in a hurry to harvest if markets are not favorable.

How to Maximize Your Profits When Planting Sweet Potatoes
There are several ways in which you can maximize your profits right from the onset of planting. These include the following:-

• Prepare land early and start planting just at the onset of rains 
• Secure good planting materials or sweet potato vines from reliable supplier. 
• Negotiate rates for the sweet potato vines: Currently, we sell sweet potato vines for Ksh.1500 but for bulk orders, we can offer farmers generous discounts on sweet potato vines.
• Weed the sweet potato in time after two to two and a half months 
• Negotiate cost of labor at various stages of the planting and harvesting
• Put more acreage under sweet potatoes: If you can make Ksh.92,000 per acre within five months then you could make as much as half a million if you put 5 acres under sweet potatoes.

Looking for additional information on sweet potato farming? Email freerangefarming.info@gmail.com or call 0725 772524.