The Kenyan government has also done little to pacify the situation leaving farmers and exporters to find their place on their own in the cut-throat competition.
“Our revenue has gone down by 50% in the last three to four years due to the strict rules that have left us at a disadvantage. Ten per cent of our produce has to be tested at the airport before shipping. Testing is a good thing because we also have to meet what our clients on the other end want, but we feel like orphans, the government has done too little to help us retain our market out there, we are on our own and it’s not easy,” explains Sheila.
With Homefresh Horticulture Export Ltd profits margins going done by almost half in the last three years, this year things might even be worse, due to the erratic weather patterns.
“This year we have had too much rain as well as too much sun, this has affected our harvest. We don’t expect to harvest enough. Most of our farms are 10 to 30 acres in different parts of the country. In a good season, we harvest 5 to 10 tonnes,” Sheila explains.
Homefresh Horticulture Export Ltd exports 80% of its produce with United Kingdom taking the lion’s share (40%). The Netherlands, Middle East, Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries take up the other half. The remaining 20% is sold locally even though the market is volatile.
From Homefresh Export Ltd point of view, “The local market though not stable, has shown significant signs of growing, even though this might take a while since green beans are for a niche market. Save for the haricot verts which are a bit more common, sugar snaps and snow peas are a bit rare on the local menu.”
Homefresh Export Ltd earns $50,000-$100,000 annually from its export market while the local market brings just $5,000 to $10,000 a year.
For the haricot verts varieties, which Homefresh Horticulture Ltd grows, Teresa is the favourite in terms of adapting to weather patterns. It is also the most preferred in the market due to its rich green hue compared to the rest. The rest are, Samantha, Amy, Vanilla, Star and Serengeti.
For the snow peas, Oregon sugar pod, Kennedy and Snow Pea green are the only varieties Homefresh Horticulture Export Ltd grows while for the sugar snaps, Cascadia is the only variety.
Homefresh Horticulture Export Ltd expects a dip in its profits this year compared to last year.
