Tomato farmers in Central Kenya are incurring heavy losses after a surge in production flooded local markets, driving prices to record lows across Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Murang’a and Laikipia counties.
At Kagio Market in Kirinyaga, one of the region’s main fresh produce hubs, a 60-kilogramme crate of Grade One tomatoes is currently selling for about Ksh1,000, down sharply from the usual Ksh4,500 to Ksh6,000. Grade Two tomatoes are fetching as little as Ksh500 per crate, while farm-gate prices have dropped to between Ksh300 and Ksh500.
Farmers say the price collapse has made it impossible to recover production costs, citing high expenses for seeds, labour, pesticides and irrigation.
A tomato farmer from Kirinyaga’s PI area, said many growers are now facing losses despite favourable yields.
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“We invested heavily and worked under harsh conditions, but the prices are too low to even cover costs,” he said, adding that some farmers have resorted to feeding tomatoes to livestock to avoid total waste.
Post-harvest losses have risen sharply, with large quantities of tomatoes rotting in farms and markets due to oversupply and limited buyers. Similar trends have been reported in Murang’a, where tomatoes are retailing for as low as Ksh20 per kilogramme, compared to Ksh80 before the festive season.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Central Kenya produces about 150,000 tonnes of tomatoes annually, with peak harvesting occurring between December and January, a period that often coincides with price dips.
Agricultural experts have urged farmers to adopt cooperative marketing, improve storage, and invest in value addition such as tomato paste and sauces to reduce losses and stabilize incomes.
By Mercy Kokwon
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