Meet Regina Mungai, a Diaspora Returnee Making a Fortune from Herbs Farming
After moving back to Kenya from the US a few years ago, Regina Mungai is making a killing from farming in Nakuru County.
Regina, who lived in Massachusetts for many years before returning to Kenya, cultivates herbs on her farm in Begi village, about seven kilometers from Gilgil town.
She is the director of Little Bloomers Ltd, a company that grows herbs such as mint and basil for export to Europe. Regina and her husband David Mungai ditched tomato farming for herbs, a decision she encourages farmers to make.
Presently, she grows basil, a medicinal herbal spice in two greenhouses while a vast area of her six-acre piece of land is occupied by mint crop.
“I will be harvesting from here tomorrow. I am looking forward to a bumper harvest,” she told Daily Nation last week.
Additionally, she grows rosemary plantation and a thyme crop.
“I got an opportunity to export through an exporting company, with which I do contract farming,” said Regina.
She said they abandoned tomato as it is labor-intensive and has low income compared to herbs. From tomato, she earned about Sh350,000 per acre but now makes more than double the amount from mint on a similar size of land.
Her aim to export herbs directly to the market as she currently sells through other companies. This, she says, will enable her to earn more and employ more people. She currently has 20 workers.
Experts say herbs farming is a venture that is yet to be exploited in Kenya yet it can create employment thousands of employment opportunities.
Agronomist Ruth Munyoro says that herb farming is simple as long as the farmer is well prepared. She advises farmers to first study the market before deciding on which crop to start with.
Comments (10)
Congratulations we need such mentors you motivate me and I envy you. I have a small land in Gilgil but residing in Denmark and I have no idear on What to use it for. You have really motivated me .
Thank grace kimani.
Why don't we utilise the land,currently in gilgil have an order of more than 1.8tn per Wk of herb.
If interested,let communicate at gm3munga@gmail.com
Have an order of 1.8tn weekly for herbs, current in gilgil.let utilise the land.
Regina M. good job and wish you well on your farming adventure. It's great to hear positive news about the former diaspora crew going back to the roots. I wish you well, you are doing your part building the nation!
Good job Regina for encouraging our diaspora refugees who most of the time talk shit about their mother country yet they remain in modern slavery in the western world.Am a returnee too n i do dairy farming n i cannot regret having returned.Life is not about money money which actually we don't even see where it goes especially ukiwa majuu.U work work don't enjoy life juu mental u think only working n acquiring more n more will make u happy which is total brainwashed bullcrap mentality.Again i will encourage our diasporas to plan themselves n return home sweet home n leave beta less stress good life hapa jamhuri.Cheers
This are the kind of positive stories that gives me hope about my beloved country. Just look at that genuine smile from this lady, as opposed to fake hypocritical smiles we exhibit in churches or other social events. You give fake smiles to hide so much stress, depression, fatigue, potential hopelessness and homelessness, which are a mere check away. Most of us are a walking zombies, destined to expire at any moment. Working days on end to flatten mountains of bills, then when all is said and done, the cycle of survival rekindles again, day end, week end, month end, year end, decades end....until we are stuck: stuck for good in a country we thought manna always fall from heaven. Stuck with remnants of morgage bills for homes we thought we would pay off before retirement. Stuck with tuition balance that never was. Stuck with credit card bills interest rates mushrooms every other due date. Stuck with makaratasi men or women we thought they would make us citizens the fastest way. Oooooh yes, stuck with car payments of big cars that never make sense. And stuck with Mkenyahalisi gospel of rants that painfully reminds me that after all these ma doubles, I still have a second home that I can walk into as clean as a fiddle, with no American bills to pay. Am in Nakuru right now and I will surely visit this couple for having given me hope, and a reason to revisit my attitude and mindset about my homeland. Because that's the bitter truth.
Goodness, what you have said, really about any country we live in we feel the same. We move to a country where we thought we could do better, we don't so we blame the country. We make the choices of creating all that you mentioned, it was not forced upon us, WE did it all. If we can work hard and live within our means instead of buy buy buy...there would not be so much criticism about the country we moved to to have a better life. Tons of people have been successful in the country they moved to,to have a better life,then go back home, their home country and continue to live a happier life. In this article,I'm sure she learned a great lesson from living in a different country, took it back home and used it to her advantage. On the net, there are many articles on how to garden for whatever one wants to grow. Now, possibly this lady will go in a different direction and gather people to teach people how to grow the right seeds, plants, to make a good living. Maybe she can create a site where people can go to, to get ideas, help in gardening...
Am encouraged by madam Regina. Am interested in farming herbs could you please assist me with her contacts so that she can mentor me through.
Am from Nanyuki
Thanks
Congratulations Regina. Coming back home was a great decision, the opportunities here are plenty if you're open minded. US is generally a nasty place save for the "jobs" though few Kenyans would admit it. I'm back home too, and my only regret is that I might have taken too long to make the decision.
Looks very attractive and positive..biggest challenge for us farmers is a steady market which if is avaiable would like to have a go...