The incomes of farmers are not always rosy at the beginning of the year. This year, the situation is going to be harder as COVID-19 is still affecting world economies, the political environment and school fees dilemma that is setting in does not also give them so much hope.
Farming has always been the answer to the financial hardships in Uganda and for that, here are the crops that will give you quick money within 30 and 90 days to help you manage the financial situation ahead. These are the money crops of 2022.
Cucumber is now commonly eaten as a salad by families, especially in urban areas. If you take a walk through the large markets, there are many traders selling cucumber which means that the market is not only available, but there is money too in the product. At the moment, a single large fruit costs as much as sh500.
A well-maintained acre of cucumber can yield around 30 tonnes for the good varieties such as hybrid cucumber Darina. This is if all the required fertilisers and pesticides are used on the farm. With this yield, a farmer can earn as much as sh10m against an investment of between sh3-4m. Certainly, that is good money for a period of three months.
These crops can be grown almost anywhere in Uganda, as long as the soils are dark, loam and fertile. Perhaps, the only region that cannot grow cucumber is Karamoja, given the sandy nature of the soils and the semi-arid environment. Cucumber matures in 50-70 days. This means that if you planted it now, by the end of February you will be harvesting and commanding a higher price because few people are planting now because of the dry spell that is setting in.
