NAIROBI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Baby corn, French beans, snow peas, pigeon peas and bullet chilli were once unfamiliar crops among Kenyan small-scale farmers because they were mainly grown by large growers for export.
The crops are grown under stringent conditions that the export market demands and thus, only the large growers had the capacity to do so and export directly in the past.
But this is not the case anymore as over the years, an increasing number of small-scale Kenyan farmers, including those in villages, have embraced the crops and are exporting them through agents.
It is lucrative business that is picking up fast among smallholder farmers in the east African nation, after many of them were frustrated by crops like maize.
In Meru County, central Kenya, Joseph Majau is one of the farmers growing a variety of peas that include snow, garden and pigeon peas for export.
"I have been doing it for over seven years and it is a profitable business compared to growing crops for the local market," he said.
The peas mature in 60 days to 80 days, after which Majau harvests, sorts and sells them to a horticulture exporting company which has contracted him.
The price of the peas ranges between 60 shillings (0.6 U.S. dollars) a kilo and 1 dollar a kilo, with the farmer growing the crops on two acres and at any time taking home up to 6,000 dollars in a good season.
Tugumo Group in Cherangany in western Kenya, on the other hand, grows French beans for the export market. Leader Joshua Etyang' said they started the venture in 2017 after being trained and contracted by exporting firm VegPro.
The training was done in late 2016 and soon after, they leased a one-acre farm and they started the business, which they are engaged in to date.
To farm the crop, one ploughs, then harrows the land and makes beds before sowing directly the seeds.
The crop matures in about three months, then it is harvested, sorted and graded, packed and taken to a collection center.
According to VegPro, which is one of the exporting firms in Kenya, it works with over 1,700 smallholder farmers in different parts of the country, who grow crops like French beans and pigeon peas.
To be contracted, one must have at least 0.2 acres, a smaller piece of land that most small farmers have in Kenya.
Beatrice Macharia, an analyst at agro consultancy Growth Point, noted that for anyone to grow export crops, they need good training on disease and pest control, fertilizer use and general husbandry.
"There are many phytosanitary conditions buyers give for growers to meet. There are no two ways about it, the reason why training is key," she said.
She noted that the export market is strict and produce that does not meet set conditions is rejected.
"No exporter would want to ship produce abroad then it is rejected. This is the reason why the agents train farmers and monitor the crops," she said.
Macharia, who works in Kajiado County, noted that the number of small farmers growing the crops has risen, with many of them doing it under irrigation.
"Bullet chilli, baby corn and French beans are among the popular crops grown for export by small farmers contracted by exporters," she said.
Kenya's fresh produce is exported across the world, especially to major markets such as the European Union, Middle East, Russia, and China.
The major exports include fresh vegetables, cut flowers, and different kinds of fruits, including mangoes and avocados.
The east African nation earned 1.5 billion dollars from horticulture exports in 2018, a 33 percent rise from 2017, according to the ministry of agriculture. Of the figure, vegetables contributed 280 million dollars.
