Kenyan tomato farmers count losses as pest ravages crop

Tomatoes affected by the deadly Tuta Absoluta pest. Farmers in various parts of the country are counting losses following the outbreak of the pest can that can destroy up to 100 per cent. Photo courtesy Kenya Biologics Ltd.

NAIROBI: Farmers are worried following an outbreak of a pest attack that is wiping away tomatoes in Rift Valley and Central.

The pest known as Tuta absoluta, a grey-brown moth that is 7mm, wipes out up to 100 per cent of the yield within days and has no known cure.  The invasive pest attacks fruits both in the open farm and in the greenhouses.