Irony of tomatoes rotting in farms while prices soar across the country

Tonnes of tomatoes are rotting on farms despite statistics indicating that prices have improved across the country.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the average price of a kilo of tomatoes in sampled markets increased by 11 per cent - from Sh91 in March last year to Sh101 this year.

But a visit by The Standard revealed that hundreds of farmers along the lower Moiben area are watching helplessly as their tomato harvest wastes away.

The farmers blame lack of a market and exploitation by middlemen for losses running into millions of shillings.

“The middlemen are exploiting us. They pick the best tomatoes and throw away the rest,” said Kevin Kipchirchir, a farmer in Kabimoi.

On Mr Kipchirchir’s 10-acre farm, a crop of tomatoes that just two weeks ago was ripe is now rotting away.

Middlemen, taking advantage of the farmers’ desperation, go from farm to farm choosing only the best tomatoes and offering peanuts for them. The rejected tomatoes are left to rot.

“Sometimes I prepare 12 crates of harvested tomatoes but when the middlemen come, they buy only half and leave the rest to rot, said Kipchirchir.

The brokers are reportedly repackaging the tomatoes in crates equivalent to six ordinary ones.

Farmers who want to transport their produce to the market complained that the poor state of roads during the ongoing rains made it difficult, leaving them at the mercy of brokers.

Started raining

“The distance from Moiben to Eldoret is about 50km but since it started raining some roads are impassable,” sid Joshua Letting.

“Some farmers have tried approaching vehicle owners for help but they (owners) refuse, citing the bad roads. They are left to contend with the little they get from the middlemen, who have continued to take advantage of them.”

Some farmers are now regretting going into tomato farming.

“I have seen farmers begging some business people from Nairobi and Kisumu to buy their tomatoes,” said Johnstone Kotut.

The farmers called on the county government to put up tomato processing plants in the area.

“This will enable farmers to get value from their produce. Tomato growers co-operative societies must also be established. This will give farmers greater bargaining power and set up distribution centres to cut off middlemen,” said Mr Kotut.

But some residents said the buck stopped with the farmers, and advised them to join hands and set price limits.

Lobby leaders

“They should also lobby area leaders to enact price legislation,”said George Lugalia.

According to the KNBS, the price of tomatoes and onions rose considerably across the country.

A kilo of onions increased by 41 per cent from Sh118 per kilo in March last year to an average of Sh167 in March this year.

This is in comparison to cabbage, which recorded a drop of 46 per cent, and sukuma wiki, whose prices dropped by three per cent to Sh56 from Sh58 last year.