About 6 years ago, Rachael Njoroge, from Tranzoia County, grew maize for commercial purposes but realized horticultural crops are more profitable than Kenya’s staple.
After being trained on how to grow export–quality horticultural produce, Rachael did not look back and immediately ditched maize for French beans.
She planted 6 kilos of certified seeds on her half-acre piece of land, which gave her 2,100 kilos of French beans in her first harvest.
Rachael sold the produce at between Sh150-200 in the export market, earning Sh315,000, which is much more compared to her earnings in maize production.
She said that the maturity period of the crop is between 45-50 days, and the crop can be harvested for three weeks of continuous cash flow.
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She doubles up as a vegetable farmer, growing tomatoes, black nightshade, cabbage, potatoes, and kale, which are destined for the local market.
She recalled getting the highest tomato harvest in 2019 which forced her to hire 100 casual laborers for one and half period to assist in harvesting. Rachael had grown the fruit on a 2-acre piece of land.
According to experts, the secret to high tomato yields lies in soil preparation and fertilizer application. The hybrid seeds are considered the best as they offer better disease resistance, higher yield, and possess other improved traits.
“Diseases and pests are prevalent during the dry period. I invested in expensive chemicals to maintain a healthy crop. I also hired labor for irrigation once a week.”
“From the profit, I have bought a farm vehicle to ease the transportation of produce to the market. I also plowed back some of it to farming, paid school fees for my three children, and saved another portion for future investment.” Said, Rachael.