KENYA · GUIDE 0006 · EDITION 4.2
Spring Onion Farming Records: Trimming, Bunches and Sales
Connect the bed to the buyer-approved bunch
A useful spring onion record links the identified planting source, bed, lifted lot, trimming instruction, packed bunch and buyer handover. A sales total by itself cannot show whether a discrepancy came from discarded bases, uneven trimming, transit damage or an unpaid delivery.
Record the product and order first
Ask whether the customer expects a bunching onion or another named product and whether roots are retained, trimmed or removed. Record the approved stalk count or weight, length and display requirement. If a sample was purchased from another grower, record its source and do not present it as evidence of your own crop’s output.
Follow each lot through preparation
| Record | Fields to complete |
|---|---|
| Planting | Named crop, source, pack or lot, bed reference and date |
| Buyer approval | Sample description, root treatment, bunch size and receiving terms |
| Lifting | Bed, date, lifted quantity and labour time |
| Preparation | Soil-removal method, root trimming, discarded outer leaves and time |
| Bunching | Usable stalks, reference unit, number of bunches and ties |
| Dispatch | Quantity, containers, destination and departure time |
| Handover | Accepted count, rejects, reason, receiving person and time |
| Payment | Amount due, actual collection, balance, returns and due date |
Keep rejected or damaged material separate from accepted output. Compare prepared and accepted counts before calculating a cost per paid bunch. Photograph an approved reference beside a ruler with the necessary permission; record whether it reflects count, weight or appearance. A photograph cannot replace a competent decision about crop identity.
Review costs and cash together
List initial tools separately from recurring planting stock, water, preparation labour, ties and transport. Include an extra journey to collect unsold stock or empty crates where the agreement requires it. An unpaid invoice cannot fund the next input. The pricing chapter uses invented figures to teach arithmetic; replace them with your own quotes and trial records.
KEPHIS, WRA, KRA and FAO provide seed, water, invoicing and general produce-handling enquiry routes. They do not verify your supplier, buyer, shelf life or profit. Use appropriate statutory records for the actual business and keep customer contact details private. Record the next action—correct the crop specification, adjust root trimming, improve packing or collect a balance—without overwriting the earlier delivery.