Albert Sagwe, a farmer and trader in Kisii County never regrets venturing into carrot farming over two decades ago.

Sagwe, who resides in Nyakomisaro, says he opted for carrot farming due to its high-yielding capability even from a small piece of land and with a shorter maturity period as compared to other crops like coffee.

He revealed that he started the venture on a leased quarter acre piece of land where he planted  250 grams of Nantes seeds purchased from an agrovet in Kisii.

“I harvested 25 sacks of carrots after three months and I gave traders in Kisii town to help me sell since I did not know how to sell. From the returns I received, I managed to look for more pieces of land since our farm was small and I needed to expand my farming,” recalls Sagwe adding that he spent Sh4, 000 to prepare the land.

How funding from the EIB helped our businesses to break even

He says that he leases at least three parcels of land that range between half to one acre in size and hires people who help him prepare them ready to plant the carrots that he harvests and sells on his own.

Sagwe also buys carrots from other farmers, adds to his harvest and sells them in the Kisiic town market, boosting his income.

Expert farmers say carrot farming is lucrative, especially if you plant hybrid varieties. On average, as a farmer, you can expect to harvest between 15 and 20 tons of carrots per acre.

The average price is around Sh50 per kilo. However, this price fluctuates depending on the current market conditions and seasons.

With good agronomic practices, you can earn around Sh500,000 per acre of carrots in normal market conditions.

David Wango, a farmer in Nakuru county, says he harvests between 80-100 bags from an acre of carrots, which earns him between Sh300,000 and Sh500,000.