Student tastes wealth in tomatoes

A cool breeze sweeps across Kombo village in Juja, bringing freshness to the otherwise dry and dusty agricultural hub of Kiambu County.

The village is sparsely populated, enabling the growing of crops such sisal, tomatoes and maize on a large-scale.

Laureen Aseka is among farmers in the area growing tomatoes. The 21-year-old student at the United States International University grows tomatoes through furrow irrigation on a leased five-acre farm.

She started in 2013 ‘to keep herself busy’, but it has grown so much she is supplying tens of crates of tomatoes to the fresh produce market in Githurai, Nairobi.

“When I started this business, I did not even have a background in farming. I mainly relied on fellow farmers, traders, the internet and extension officers for advice,” says the third year international relations student.

However, her love for tomatoes did not start on the farm.

“I would hire a vehicle with a friend, travel to Loitokitok, Kajiado County, buy tomatoes from farmers and sell them to traders at Githurai market in Nairobi. I would buy a crate at Sh500 and sell for as much as Sh7,000 in Nairobi,” recounts Aseka.

While in the business, she met a tomato seller and a farmer, who introduced her to growing the crop.

LEASED LAND

“She was farming in Juja. She introduced me to a land owner in the area who leased out 1.5 acres at Sh8,000 an acre,” says Aseka.

She financed it all from the money she made from her tomato business and soft loans from friends. The third-born in a family of seven is able to carry on since she only has three units to study per semester at the university

She says one needs about Sh200,000 to grow tomatoes on an acre under irrigation.

“Labour is the most expensive unit in this business. I spend up to Sh100,000 on workers a season.”

In the first season, she harvested 130 crates that she sold at an average of Sh6,500 each.

“In a good season, a harvest gives you up to Sh200,000 an acre.”

Encouraged by the money, Aseka leased 3.5 more acres. Now she farms on five acres.
She also employed four more workers to add to the two she had to take care of the farm as she juggled between business and studies.

“I have subdivided the five-acre farm into different portions to do rotational farming and ensure that I have tomatoes all-year round.”

After harvesting tomatoes from one portion, she grows maize or vegetables to rotate the crops and provide her workers with food.

Last week, Aseka was harvesting tomatoes from a 1.5-acre portion.

FLOWERING

Next to it was another two acres teeming with flowering crops while another had young tomato plants which had been transplanted three weeks earlier. 

“After harvesting, I grade the tomatoes depending on their sizes, then pack in wooden crates. Tomato prices vary depending on their size and harvesting season.”

She harvests an average of 15 crates a week, which she takes to Githurai market on a truck she hires at Sh4,000.

“Tomatoes take about 75 days to mature after transplanting. The harvesting goes on for about six to eight weeks,” she says .

To grow her tomatoes using irrigation, she first ploughs the land and then makes furrows to hold water.

Thereafter, she transplants a month-old tomato seedlings from a seedbed she has on the farm and plants them with DAP fertiliser.

She sources her irrigation water from River Ndarugu, which is barely 200 metres from her farm.

“I pump the water using a 16 horsepower machine which I bought on hire purchase at about Sh200,000.”

She grows different tomato varieties, among them Oxil and Safari.

Dominic Bwanyi, her worker, says they use sisal strings and wooden sticks to support the tomato plants, two months after the crops begin to flower.

“If you do not support, the plants will touch the ground and the fruits will rot or get attacked by pests.”

They irrigate the farm twice a week, but open the furrows during the rainy seasons as too much water causes the crop to wilt.

They spray the crops regularly, starting seven days after planting to keep pests at bay, but stop two days before harvesting.

Aseka terms tomato business gainful although she decries exploitation from cartels in the market.

“When I take my produce to the market, there are people there who demand money before you sell your produce. They demand Sh100 on every crate they offload from the truck.

They will not allow you to hire people to do the work,” says the farmer, who is still repaying a loan of about Sh700,000 she took from friends.

PRICE FLUCTUATION

Her other challenge is price fluctuations depending on the season and supply. “When the market is saturated with tomatoes, you can sell a crate for as low as Sh500 each. Right now prices average Sh4,500,” says Aseka. This is in her sixth season and she is lucky that her tomato plants have not been attacked by the deadly leaf-eating pest moth, Tuta absoluta.

Prof James Muthomi, the head of crop protection department at the University of Nairobi, says open field irrigation is flexible and affordable.

“Crop rotation will be easier with open field farming which reduces the build-up of soil-borne diseases such as bacterial wilt and bacterial canker.”

Dr Jessica Mbaka, head of crop protection at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation, says to grow tomatoes, one should start by doing a soil test to check fertility.

“This will help to determine the level of manure and fertilisers to be applied. Management of pests and diseases will depend on what they are so the farmer should be able to scout and identify the problem. When pesticide application is necessary, the manufacturers’ recommendations and pre-harvest interval should be adhered to.”

Tomatoes, according to Dr Mbaka, do well in clay, loam soil with good drainage.

When using irrigation, the crop is best grown during the dry season as foliar diseases are fewer at this time. “Good agronomic practices include feeding them with phosphorous, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium and sulphur fertilisers. Pruning and supporting the plants, weeding must also be done and a farmer should have good post-harvest handling measures.”