French beans take a period of 45 to 50 days to mature and the demand at the export market is usually at its peak between October and May. The beans are picked, chopped, washed, combined into multi-product packs, labeled, bar-coded and shipped (Murithi et al., 2008). The produce for export must comply with the local and international food safety and regulations. Horticultural exports including French beans have standards to be met, that is, the European Retailer Produce Working Group Good Agricultural Practices (EurepGap) and the GlobalGap protocols. It was initiated in 1997 as a condition of entry to the European Union (EU) markets and was as a result of consumer increasing demand for produce that meets specific quality standards and regulation. Murithi et al. (2008), highlight that these standards entail high investment costs in terms of inputs (such as the approved pesticides), technology and upgrading.paraphrase