KENYA · GUIDE 0006 · EDITION 4.2
Spring Onion Farming in Kenya: Find Buyers
Establish what the buyer means by spring onion
A kitchen asking for spring onions may have a particular use, white-stem length and bunch size in mind. Show clearly identified samples and ask whether the buyer expects a bunching onion or an immature bulb onion. Obtain competent local advice about the actual planting material. Do not substitute a different crop merely because its leaves look similar.
Compare the order before committing the plot
| Buyer question | Evidence to record |
|---|---|
| Intended use | Garnish, cooking or another specified use |
| Product identity | Named crop, source and buyer-approved sample |
| Trimming | Roots included, trimmed or removed; outer-leaf condition |
| Bunch | Number of stalks or agreed weight, length and visual presentation |
| Delivery | Receiving location, window, containers and rejection process |
| Payment | Accepted quantity, price, due date and return terms |
A kitchen may judge usable stems while a retailer also considers how bunches appear beside existing stock. Ask a stallholder whether customers can compare the bunches without opening them. Record the feedback and display conditions; that suggested trial is not evidence of an actual survey or sale.
Keep a sample and its source traceable
If a sample was purchased from another supplier, tell the buyer. It can establish a preference but does not establish your plot’s yield or quality. Record the agreed sample beside a ruler or another clear reference, with the buyer’s permission. Confirm who will inspect the first delivery and how discrepancies will be documented.
Distinguish interest, acceptance and paid sales
Record an enquiry, sample assessment, confirmed order, accepted delivery and cash collected separately. Ask why a buyer declines or reduces the next order. Unwanted root treatment, unequal stalk size, arrival time and price are different problems. Change one element of the offer and retest rather than planting more on an encouraging comment.
The FAO fresh-produce packing-house reference includes green onion as part of general handling context; it does not establish a buyer, local shelf life or certified process for your farm. Obtain appropriate local advice before deciding crop, water and harvest arrangements. A small paid repeat order is useful evidence for that buyer, not a guarantee of continuous demand across Kenya.