Cleophas Kyeva has grown French beans at his rural home in Mavitini village, Makueni county, for 19 years, but there was little to show for it due to poor prices.
The situation is, however, changing, thanks to Woni Exporters, a private company that buys French beans from farmers and sells them abroad. Farmers are paid their dues every end month.
“I grow French beans in a one and half acre farm. I am able to make enough money to pay school fees for my children and also meet my other family expenses,” Kyeva says.
Planting a kilogramme of the French beans costs him not more than Sh5, 800. He plants between three and five kilos every season.
Kyeva said he harvests 700kg of the crop, which he sells to Woni exporters at Sh50 per kilo. “In a month I am able to make more than Sh62,000 and after deducting my expenses, I get a profit of about Sh30,000. The earnings are enough to sustain my family of four,” he says.
Kyeva says apart from supplying farmers with the quality seeds, the company also trains them on the best farming practices.
Kyeva explains how he prepares the compost manure in order to get high yields. The manure is first taken through a decomposition process of at least two months.
“I first put my manure into a pit to decompose for at least two months. I then remove the manure and put it in the open where I cover it with a black polythene paper,” he said. Covering the manure with a black polythene bag helps in killing pests that come with decomposition.
The manure is then mixed with the soil. DAP fertiliser is then added to the mixture — this makes the plant produce good roots. Watering is done before planting and when planting, one is advised to make shallow holes to allow the beans spread their roots fast.
Immediately they germinate, Kyeva advises that it’s important to spray the beans with thunder pesticide which prevents the plants from pests for 14 days.
Kaiti sub county agriculture and livestock co-ordinator Charles Ndung’u said Kenya has not been able to meet the high demand of French beans in Europe, Middle East and USA.
He said Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Project, in collaboration with USAID, is working with 25 farmers in the county in a pilot project. “The 25 farmers have been able to produce one tonne of French beans every week, which is still far below the demand. One plant produces at least 10 to 20 pods which the farmers harvest once every week,” Ndung’u said.
