Kenyans abandon tomatoes over high prices

By Special Reporter

Jessica Mzinza, a tomato trader in Kibera's Toi Market, in Nairobi

When she went shopping on Saturday, Nairobi resident Jane Wanga ensured two items did not miss in her list.

 

These are tomato sauce and a popular spice many Kenyans families use to season their foods. It has been long since Wanga bought the items, but this time round she was forced to. This is because as many other families in the East African nation, Wanga is hardly using tomatoes in her meals.

 

"I have stopped using tomatoes to cook vegetables, beans and green grams. I only use onions and then add the spices. And for foods like meat, I do not use more than one tomato."

 

Prices of tomatoes in Kenya have doubled, pushing the commodity out of the hands of many families.

 

With a 64 kg box of tomatoes going for between 77 U.S. dollars and 91 dollars in different wholesale markets in the East African nation, families have to find alternatives.

 

Retail prices have equally shot up, with most traders selling a single tomato at an average of 0.11 dollars. In Nairobi, prices, however, depend on the size of the tomatoes and the suburb.

 

Traders in middle-income suburbs are selling a bunch of three tomatoes at 0.4 dollars, while in upper income estates, the same is going at 0.57 dollars. In low-income estates, traders are selling each tomato at 0.11 dollars.

 

Prices are, however, fairer in Nairobi compared to other regions. A 64 kg box of tomatoes at Wakulima, the biggest wholesale market in the city is going for 77 dollars, compared to 86 dollars in Kisumu and 80 dollars in Mombasa.

 

"If each tomato is going for 0.11 dollars, how many can one buy? " posed Wanga. "That is why I have decided to use spices until the cost of the produce comes down."

 

The sharp rise in prices is blamed on two things; massive crop failure in source markets due to pests and diseases and poor weather that cannot favour growth of tomatoes.

 

In the past months, tomato farms in Kenya have been ravaged by a pest called Tuta absoluta. The pest attacks the tomato fruit as it begins to ripen on the stalk and makes it whither.

 

The pest, which originated from South America is believed to have come into Kenya from Ethiopia, has destroyed acres and acres of tomato plants, including in greenhouses, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

 

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei has said the pest is a huge threat to the tomato sector, which is Kenya's fourth horticultural crop. The government is working with farmers to curb the pest.

 

Erratic weather has also contributed to the drop in tomato supply, with many areas experiencing cold weather and heavy rainfall, two conditions that do not support growth of tomatoes.

 

Fresh produce traders said the current prices are the worst in over a decade.

"I have been in this business for about 10 years and I can confirm that things have never been this bad," said Grace Mutuku, who runs a fresh produce store in Komarock on the east of Nairobi.

 

Mutuku noted she has halved her tomato supply because prices are too high and people are not buying the items.

 

"I brought half a box three days ago, and I have not even cleared the stock. Some are already rotting. When things are normal, I bring a box of tomatoes after a day."
 

The soaring prices have had a significant effect on inflationary pressure, according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Tomato prices were 36.8 per cent higher in July, compared to a similar period last year. 

 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN