A kilo of tomatoes now goes for Sh80 up from Sh10 (€0.68 from €0.09). The scarcity has been attributed to heavy rains in the region.
Jackson Kwambai, a tomato farmer from Uasin GiShu County: “Demand for tomatoes is high due to scarcity following heavy rains. Most of the produce is sourced from neighbouring Uganda. We get others from a few farmers who own greenhouses.”
“A kilo of tomatoes is retailing at Sh80 up from Sh10 between May and June. I will now harvest my tomatoes; I was targeting August when tomatoes are usually scarce in North Rift.”
Eunice Kigen, a trader in Eldoret, said the price of potatoes had doubled. “A 25-kg bag of potatoes is retailing at an average of Sh2,500 from Sh1,000 (€21.19 from €8.47) in the past three weeks,” said Kigen. She said farmers spend heavily on chemicals to control diseases during the rainy season.
According to standardmedia.co.ke, some people are blaming the middlemen as well.
