Vine multiplication and selling business

By Kelvin Allan

The process of sweet potato vine multiplication begins with the selection of healthy and disease-free plants. Once identified, these plants are carefully pruned to produce vine cuttings, typically 20-30cm in length, each containing at least 2-3 nodes. The cuttings are planted directly into the soil in beds or placed in a rooting medium to encourage root development. Two of the three nodes should be submerged in the rooting medium. The beds should be 1 meter wide and 5 meters long for easier management. Additionally, there should be 50 cm of spacing between beds, or 5 meters if the varieties differ.

Healthy and disease-free sweet potato plants are carefully pruned to produce vine cuttings, typically 20-30cm in length, each containing at least 2-3 nodes.

Rooting medium options include moist sand, vermiculite, or water. By providing optimal conditions such as adequate moisture and sunlight, the vine cuttings will develop roots within a few weeks, signalling their readiness for transplanting into the field.

Things to consider when doing vine multiplication:
While sweet potato vine multiplication offers numerous benefits, organic farmers must consider several factors to ensure successful implementation:

Variety Selection: Choose sweet potato varieties that are well suited to local growing conditions and market preferences. Consider factors such as drought tolerance, pest resistance, and culinary attributes when selecting varieties for vine multiplication.

Site Preparation: Prepare the planting site by ensuring proper soil fertility, drainage, and weed management. Incorporating organic amendments such as compost or aged manure can improve the soil structure and nutrient availability, promoting healthy vine growth and root development. Consideration of water access for irrigation is important, as vines should be ready by the start of the rainy season. Therefore, vine multiplication should take place during the dry season, making it essential to ensure the availability of water during this period.

Vine Cutting Preparation: Handle vine cuttings with care to prevent damage to nodes and stems. Use sharp, sterilized cutting tools to make clean cuts, and remove any leaves from the lower portion of the cutting to promote root formation.

Rooting Medium: Choose a suitable rooting medium based on local availability and environmental conditions. Maintain consistent moisture levels and avoid water logging to prevent rotting of vine cuttings.

Transplanting and Care: Transplant rooted vine cuttings into the field at the onset of the rainy season or during periods of optimal soil moisture. Provide adequate spacing between plants to facilitate air circulation and minimize competition for resources. Regularly inspect plants for signs of pests, diseases, or nutrient deficiencies, and take prompt action to address any issues that arise.

Farmers should note that vines should only be used for three growing cycles. Using them beyond this limit will result in reduced yields, both in quality and quantity.

Estimates of gross margin in vine multiplication. The recommended seed rate for sweet potato is 11-13bags of vines per acre. A 50 kg bag carries about 1,000 pieces of vines that measure 30cm in length with 2-3 nodes.

By multiplying 2-3 bags of vines on a small piece of land, a vine multiplier harvests about 10 bags of cuttings hence earning between Ksh11,000 and Ksh13,000 from a seed capital of between Ksh2000 and Ksh3000. The vine multiplier should source the starter material vines from institutions such as KALRO and KEPHIS that guarantee clean, virus free vines and only needs a bag or two to multiply the vines. Therefore, the only cost that the multiplier incurs is costs to procure the
starter seed for multiplication and maybe, fuel costs if they are not using solar powered irrigation kits.

Please note: The above case is premised on the assumption that this vine multiplier only received one customer intending to put just one acre of their land under sweet potato production. In the opportunity of more customers, the seed multiplier will make much more. For steady markets, multipliers should establish and market themselves as suppliers
of clean and disease-free vines that guarantee sweet potato producers of good quality and quantity yields.

Consumers in both urban and rural areas seek sweet potatoes for various purposes, including consumption, processing into value-added products, and livestock feed.

Market Demand: Kenya has a high demand for sweet potatoes due to their nutritional value and culinary versatility. Consumers in both urban and rural areas seek sweet potatoes for various purposes, including consumption, processing into value-added products, and livestock feed. As a result, there is a constant need for high-quality planting materials to meet this demand, presenting a significant market opportunity for sweet potato vine multiplication.

Target Market:

Smallholder Farmers: Small-scale farmers form the backbone of agriculture in Kenya. By offering affordable, accessible clean planting materials through vine multiplication, these farmers can enhance their productivity and income levels.

Agro-Processors: Agro-processing companies in the region require a steady supply of high-quality sweet potatoes for processing into products such as chips, flour, and snacks. Vine multiplication ensures a reliable source of raw materials,
fostering partnerships between farmers and agro-processors.

Livestock Farmers: Sweet potato vines serve as nutritious fodder for livestock, particularly dairy cattle and pigs. By promoting vine multiplication, livestock farmers can access a sustainable source of feed, thereby improving animal health and productivity.

Benefits of Sweet Potato Vine Multiplication

1. Rapid Multiplication: Unlike traditional seed purchase or germination, which can be time-consuming, sweet potato vine multiplication allows for rapid multiplication of planting material. This enables farmers to quickly expand their sweet potato cultivation areas and meet growing market demands.
2. Cost Effectiveness: By eliminating the need for seed purchase or germination, sweet potato vine multiplication farmers. Additionally, the use of vine cuttings reduces the risk of seed-borne diseases, minimizing the need for chemical inputs and promoting organic farming practices.
3. Improved Yield and Quality: Sweet potato vine multiplication produces robust and healthy plants with well-established root systems. As a result, farmers can expect higher yields and superior crop quality compared to conventional seed propagation methods. Furthermore, the enhanced vigour of plants propagated through vine multiplication increases their resilience to environmental stressors and pest attacks.
4. Resilience in the face of climate change: Sweet potatoes are inherently resilient to adverse environmental conditions such as drought, heat, and poor soil fertility, making them well-suited to climate-affected regions. Additionally, by utilizing vine multiplication, farmers can quickly recover from crop losses and adapt their production systems to changing climatic conditions. Furthermore, sweet potato vine multiplication promotes soil health and conservation by enhancing soil structure, organic matter content, and nutrient cycling. The extensive root system of sweet potato plants helps prevent soil erosion, improve water infiltration, and suppress weeds, thereby mitigating the impacts of climate-induced soil degradation.