Mango farmers in Kitui are reporting high post-harvest losses this season, with growers indicating that a large share of fruit remains unsold and is deteriorating in orchards. Farmers attribute the outcome to pest pressure, led by the fruit fly, and limited access to structured markets.
According to data from the county department of agriculture, post-harvest losses in some wards range between 45 per cent and 90 per cent. While production volumes were high, farmers report that only a small portion of harvested fruit entered the market, with the remainder left uncollected or discarded.
Joshua Mwendwa, a grower in Mwingi West, said he harvested five tons of mangoes but sold only one ton. "I harvested five tons. I sold one ton. The rest is manure. The brokers offered me KES 5 per piece. I would rather feed them to the cows." At current exchange rates, this offer equates to a few U.S. cents per fruit.
Farmers and officials also pointed to weak market linkages as a contributing factor. While mangoes from Kitui are produced in volume, access to wholesale buyers and processors remains limited. At the same time, retailers in Nairobi continue to sell imported fruit, highlighting a gap between production areas and consumer markets.
In response, the county government has announced measures aimed at reducing losses in future seasons. The agriculture portfolio, led by County Executive Committee Member Stephen Mbaya Kimwele, has outlined plans to form Farmer-Producer Organisations to aggregate volumes and reduce reliance on intermediaries. The approach is intended to link growers directly with juice processors and export buyers, including markets in the Middle East.
Pest management is also being addressed through collaboration with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and USAID. Integrated pest management kits are being rolled out, although officials acknowledge that these measures will have limited impact on the current season's harvest.
The situation in Kitui reflects broader challenges within Kenya's fruit value chains, where production growth is not consistently matched by investment in storage, processing, and coordinated marketing. Without local processing capacity capable of absorbing peak volumes, growers remain exposed to price volatility and post-harvest losses.
County officials said that strengthening aggregation, pest control, and downstream processing will be central to stabilising mango marketing in the region, but implementation is expected to influence future seasons rather than resolve current losses.
Source: Streamline
