KENYA – The prices of most consumed vegetables in Kenya including onions, tomatoes and cabbages have remained high despite a drop in most food items in the country.
Local producers are seeing the shortage as blessing in disguise as the scarcity has allowed them to set prices not like the previous seasons.
“It’s our time to reap after years of exploitation. Buyers from Tanzania and other East African countries have forced Kenyan traders to increase the prices they offer to us,” Mr Joseph Waiganjo, a farmer from Laikipia County.
A kilogram of tomatoes increased by 28.7 percent to Sh98 in July this year from Sh76.7 in the same period last year while onion prices increased from Sh129.79 to sh171.41 for a kilogramme of the product over the period.
Cabbage prices recorded the sharpest price increase from Sh53.7 to Sh78.4 for a kilogram of the commodity. This was a 46.1 percent increase.
Around 50 per cent of onions sold locally in Kenya are imported, even though the crop can thrive in many parts.
Early June, Kenya tabled a proposal to remove excise duty on eggs, potatoes and onions from the East African Community (EAC) in measures that could promote intra-trade within the bloc.
However, farmers in Kenya want the government to offer quality seeds and storage facilities to beat competition from Tanzanian producers.
According to Murriki Gatimbu, a large-scale onion producer in Isinya, Kajiado County, the government needs to offer expert guidance on easy cultivation techniques to maximise production.
He explained that red bulb onion is the most preferred variety and that farmers have been doing their best to meet the local demand.
“The high cost of production has driven onion farmers to other ventures. This has led to onion prices shooting up beyond the reach of many families,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. James Maina, an exporter, highlighted to Nation media that Tanzanian onions are preferred by traders because farmers follow the best agronomy practices, they are patient, unlike Kenyan farmers who use a lot of chemicals to hasten the growth of the produce.
“While Kenyan farmers harvest to sell the same day, in Tanzania, the farmers harvest by uprooting the bulbs without cutting the leaves, which are cut the second day,” he added.
“The bulbs are then left in the sun to dry for a day. With such post-harvest treatment and handling, the onion can stay in the market even for a month. The importer is cushioned against post-harvest losses.”
In response to post-harvest losses, Apollo Owuor, the Coordinator for Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa, advises all stakeholders to look at technology and adopt climate-smart farming to improve production.
Liked this article? Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE
