Greetings
This is getting downright depressing. Even the 2G network isn’t working all the time. I think Safaricom is going to loose a customer. They tell me two or three weeks of interrupted service before it gets better. I guess it is time to visit the Orange store or the Yu store to get a different modem. I wonder if their networks are going through the same problem as Safaricom. I can’t believe Safaricom management would be allowing for their services to be interrupted for even a few hours more or less a couple of weeks. TIK. So this post is getting to the internet very late since I could not get any service last night before I went to sleep.
Today I spent the day at the guest house crunching numbers. It looks like we can plant an acre of passion fruit for under $800 but I am having difficulty planting 24 plots at the same price. Six thousand seedlings spread out on one six acre plot would cost just over $4100, six thousand seedlings spread out over six one acre plots would cost just over $4500, and our price to plant six thousand seedlings over the 24 plots comes in at $5300. None of these prices reflect labor and plowing that we are putting to the stakeholder to furnish if possible. Since most of these plots would have been plowed anyway to plant maize we are looking to only supply the materials for the orchards. Each orchard will be calculated on a case by case basis. I do not believe I will be able to get the wood costs any lower. I might be able to still reduce the wire cost some more. Total support wire needed is reaching 16,000 meters or well over a half a ton. My first quote was for 12,000 meters and increasing it to 16,000 should be worth a few shillings. Seedlings are already bought and paid for. The last high cost is the chemicals. Robert has been working the numbers for the dozen or so different chemicals needed to maintain the orchards. Since chemicals are based on the number of seedlings we should be able to come up with a per seedling cost per chemical. We will need this put together so we can get each plot its own allotment of assorted chemicals. Robert says he has been able to reduce the overall cost of the chemicals down 20,000 Ksh but I still want to look at the specifications of each chemical to determine how much time it will take to use it up. I want the chemical budget to reflect enough chemicals to reach harvest or until the plot can sustain itself.
Once all the data is given to me I will finish the spread sheet and hand it over to the ministries project managers. All they should have to do is put in the length and width of the plot to determine everything that is needed including the cost to plant. We are looking at sourcing the wire and chemicals in large supplies to keep the costs down. If we are to keep them at the source of the seedlings then when we go to deliver the seedlings we can bring the allotted wire, chemicals, and other hardware. The timber for the support posts will be at the responsibility of the stakeholder and what they can negotiate in their area. Talking with both Robert and Hezron it is a crime to transport timber without a permit. I need to investigate this some more since we are in need of transporting some timber to the sites. If I haven’t told you before I have no desire to spend any time in a prison here or anywhere.
Tomorrow is more of the same. I will work on the dozen or so chemicals to get the concentrations and costs needed for each seedling. I will go and visit the hardware dude to see if I can get a better price on the wire. I will also try and find out how far each of the twenty four plots is along for planting. If the holes have been recently dug then another chemical must be put down into hole before planting. If they have been dug for a couple of weeks then the chemicals are not needed. I also have to address the training and transportation costs to make all this happen. I also need to find some shillings to help reimburse Robert and his accountant for all their ventures into Mumias and Bungoma. So far everything looks like it is possible to meet all the needs and stay at or under budget unless I am missing something (possible).
It took 20 minutes to get this picture of Bulinda orchard site uploaded
Take care and be blessed.
Dave
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