A fruit farmer has switched to a new accounting system after claiming his former one was “incredibly difficult to use”.

Soft- and top-fruit farmer James Newington, who grows in Mereworth, Kent, opted for the Landmark KEY Accounts system after struggling with Sage.

Newington, pictured (right) with business partner John Clarke, said: “I found Sage incredibly difficult to use. I am sure it is a great product if you are an accountant but even though I am computer literate and relatively familiar with accounts I struggled with the rigidity of the program. When I made a mistake it was really hard to correct it.”

He added: “The output of KEY Accounts has given us confidence as a young business to make decisions. We can see where our income is month-on-month, we can update our projections and instantly know our creditor position.”

Newington said the business had benefitted from intensified cropping, extended picking seasons and better plant buying.