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: 10 May 2018; Hits: 8296

Potato and tomato prices rise sharply as maize and kales costs drop

Potato and tomato prices have gone up by 50 per cent over the last two months due to raging floods that have cut off roads making it difficult for farmers to transport their produce to the markets.

The price of a 64kg box of tomatoes according to the ministry of agriculture’s commodity pricing for instance is currently retailing at between Sh6500 to Sh8500 compared to February when the same amount was selling at a high of Sh5200 and a low of Sh2500.

In Laikipia, Nyandarua, Kericho and Narok counties, tomatoes are rotting in farmers’ farms due to poor roads that have been affected by rains.

Potato prices have increased from between Sh1500 and Sh2500 for a 50kg bag recorded in February this year to between Sh1800 and Sh3000 this month.

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tomato increase price

It is not all gloom however, for consumers as the prices of maize flour and kales have decreased compared to the beginning of the year.

The price of a two kilogram packet of maize flour has declined from a high of Sh140 in January to between Sh90 and Sh100 currently.

A 90kg bag of maize is retailing at Sh2500 to Sh2900 down from Sh3200 paid by the National Cereals and Produce Board during the 2017 harvesting season.

The price of kales (sukumawiki) has gone down from an average of Sh1200 per bag to Sh700.

In Kenya, potatoes are grown in approximately 35,000 hectares by more than 800,000 smallholder farmers. The production of the crop annually is estimated at Sh50bn and the government through the Kenya Health Inspectorate Service and the National Potato Council of Kenya is marketing the crop as the food of choice.

The major potato production areas in Kenya include Nyandarua, Nakuru, Bungoma, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Bomet, and Trans-Nzoia.

The promotion of the crop is aimed at diversifying crop production at a time when the country’s staple food, maize is recording a decline in production due to fall armyworm infestation and diseases such as lethal necrosis and maize smut.

In 2017, maize production declined to 35.2m bags from 37.1m bags in 2016.

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: 09 May 2018; Hits: 7275

Rwanda smallholder framers to benefit from Africa’s biggest agriculture forum

African Green Revolution Forum AGRF

L-R: Strive Masiyiwa of Econet, Rwanda’s minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Gérardine Mukeshimana, and Agnes Kalibata address the media on the sidelines of the ongoing Transform Africa Summit in Kigali yesterday. Photo courtesy.

For the first time Rwanda has been selected to host 2018 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) which will run under the theme “Lead, Measure, Grow” enabling new pathways to turn smallholders into sustainable agribusinesses.

The annual agricultural forum which is organised by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and is slated for September 3-7 was last year held in Côte d’Ivoire and saw close to US$6.5 billion worth of business deals clinched in palm oil, pulses, potato, and rice subsectors.

Agnes Kalibata, AGRA’s president and Rwanda’s former agriculture minister said that the country was selected to host the forum due, in large part, to its leadership role in efforts to transform agriculture both at home and across the continent.

In January 2018, at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Rwanda was recognised by the African Union Commission as the top performing nation on the continent in the pursuit of agricultural goals and targets, scoring 6.1 out of a possible 10.

“We are excited to be building on Rwanda’s reputation as the country that has been able to demonstrate how Africa can build an agriculture system that is functional,” Kalibata said, adding that the country’s performance in CAADP is something that they would like to share with other countries.

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is Africa’s policy framework for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition, economic growth and prosperity for all.

Previous editions of the forum have seen major continental commitments on agriculture.

The 2016 edition, hosted by Kenya, for example, resulted in commitments of more than US$30 billion to support the continent with investments to increase production, income, and employment for smallholder farmers and local African agriculture businesses over the next ten years.

Rwanda’s Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Gérardine Mukeshimana, said the country is looking forward to sharing its experience with the rest of the continent.

“Rwanda is also keen on gaining insights from our peers. We must continue to improve at understanding new advances and deploying new solutions that will enable us all to tap into the full potential of our continent,” she noted.

Currently, agriculture is the economic mainstay of the majority of households in Rwanda and makes a significant contribution to the economy. The sector accounts for about 30 per cent of the GDP and employs about 69 per cent of the labour force.

The upcoming agriculture forum is expected to draw more than 1,500 delegates.

The 7th edition of the forum will seek to further the advancement of inclusive agricultural transformation at the heart of the continent’s broader economic transformation agenda and Agenda 2063, organisers said.

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: 04 May 2018; Hits: 15406

Company contracts farmers to supply supermarkets with onions, tomatoes, kales, spinach and mushrooms

.Organic Farmers Market, a company that was founded in 2010 and promotes health eating habits provides a platform for farmers to sell their vegetables directly to supermarkets within Nairobi.

In this, the farmers pay Sh350 market participation fee once per week to enable them sell the produce in shopping malls within Nairobi. There is also a Sunday market in Kilimani area.

These include but are not limited to broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, kales, spinach, lettuces, mixed salads, onions, tomatoes, shishito and radish.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, over one billion tonnes of food which constitutes about 70 per cent of fresh farm produce rots on the farm before it reaches consumers.

Organic Farmers Market therefore seeks to bridge this so as minimize wastage and ensure farmers reap benefits of their hard work.

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In 2017, there was a surge in the prices of vegetables by 1.66 per cent due to drought which led to a shortage in the market according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

“The inspiration behind the market was and still is to promote organic and healthy foods and provide a platform for farmers to market their products. Sick individuals are constantly looking for organic and safe foods, the elderly the same, we also have healthy individuals looking for organic foods to stay healthy, and mothers are looking for these foods for their young ones as well,” said Dennis Andaye, the founder of the company.

Organic farmers market has successfully provided a platform for 35 certified organic farmers and food vendors to trade their products and make it easy for clients to access the food directly from the producers.

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Organic farming involves using fertilizers of organic origin such as compost and green manure with emphasis on practices like crop rotation and mixed farming with prohibition of synthetic fertilizers.

“The benefits of organic farming are numerous, one is the food is free of harsh chemicals and fertilizers that are toxic to life (human beings and living creature). Organic also farming doesn't harm the environment,” said Dennis.

Interested farmers can contact Dennis on +254 712 879 803.

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