Forget politics, I am now a tomato farmer: Mruttu

Since he lost the Taita Taveta County top seat in the last General Election, little has been heard from former governor John Mruttu. But those who know him, are aware that he has been hiding on the farm.

“I am now a full-time farmer. Farming has more benefits than politics,” says Mruttu.

Mrutu owns a 10-acre farm which he has christened Kimala Farm.

At the farm which he manages together with his wife Hope, he grows bananas, oranges, pawpaws, tangerines and watermelons which he sells in Kongwea market in Mombasa.

He also rears poultry, rabbits, dairy cows and fish.

But his cash cow is tomatoes.

His interest in farming, he says, did not start yesterday.

“I have been passionate about farming since 1985 after inheriting some land from my father,” he says.

On a good season, Mruttu harvests 35 tonnes of tomatoes and hires 40 workers to help with the work load.

“I have been meeting my customers’ demands very effectively and I look forward to expanding my production from 35 tonnes to 40 tonnes in the next two months,” he says.

Currently, tomatoes go for between Sh 60 and 70 per kilogramme at farm gate.

Mruttu says his 10-acre farm produces about 200 tonnes of tomatoes per harvest.

There is a big market problem for tomatoes in the country with farmers in Laikipia throwing it away. Is he facing the same problem?

“Not at all. Lucky, for us, we are not facing such a problem. We have not recorded any waste or suffered losses.”

To avoid such problems in future, he says it is important for farmers to establish the market before they grow the crop.

THE CHALLENGES

‘Most farmers jump into it without knowing where they will sell it. With what is happening in the country, it is a lesson for farmers and the Government. Something needs to be done to avoid such wastes.”

One solution he says, is value-addition. And is he thinking of going that way?

“Of course. Value-addition is the future. That is the way all farmers including myself should go,” Mruttu points out.

Though tomato-farming is lucrative, it has its fair share of challenges including frequent cross border flash floods, pests, fluctuation of prices and theft of farm produce.

To overcome theft, Mruttu and other framers have employed vigilante groups to guard and monitor criminal activities in their farms.

The common diseases in the area include blight and wilt but he had been spraying his farm produce with pesticides.

The banana farm supplements his income. He transports seven tonnes of bananas to Mombasa every month and fetches about Sh 700,000.

He grows varieties like Williams, Grand nain, Giant and Dwarf Cavendish.