Kenyan tomato farmers make a hefty profit

Tomato prices             by Mwangi Mumero

Urban households have been forced to go without tomatoes in their dishes even as farmers across the country make a killing from the good farm gate prices.

In some Nairobi estates, a tomato fruit is selling at Ksh 10 a piece –making the vegetable inaccessible to many homes.  A kilo has been retailing at Ksh 100.

“We have been forced to abandon tomatoes in our sauces as price shoots. Alternatives such as capsicum have also proved rare and highly priced in the local markets”, observed Joyce Otieno, a resident of New Valley estate, outside Kitengela.

Tomatoes are important components of local dishes. They can be fried with green vegetables and eaten with ugali. The fruits can also be made into desserts and eaten with roasted meat. Ripe tomatoes can be eaten raw and are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Scarcity of tomatoes has made the prices of roasted meat rise as cost of ‘Kachumbari’ shoot.

But even as consumers in urban area decry increased prices, tomato farmers are smiling all the way to the bank as demand and farm gate prices soar.

“It has been a good season for tomato farmers. We have been able to make about Ksh 40,000 from the sale of tomatoes grown on half-acre plot”, said Paul Muchuka, a farmer in Kiamburi village in Kinamba location, Laikipia County.

He added that were it not for some few teething challenges such as diseases like blight, tomato production and profits would have been higher. 

Farmers who had planted their crop in December last year and used irrigation over the dry January- March season have made a killing from their crop.

Overall, the price per crate has ranged between Ksh 3,500 and Ksh 5,000 giving the farmers a chance to recoup their investments and make good profits.

 The Ministry of Agriculture monthly report on commodity prices indicated that in April, prices of tomatoes across Kenyan cities ranged between a high of Ksh 6,000 per crate in Nairobi to Ksh 5,700 in Mombasa.

According to Mr. Muchuka, farmers in Laikipia have harvested a good crop that is being sought by buyers from across the region.

“Buyers have been flocking this area from Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Nyeri seeking tomatoes. We are quite happy with the production and sale obtained”, said Mr. Paul Kairu, a farmer from Wangachi village also in Laikipia.

Lorries have been trooping to local townships such as Kinamba, Sipili and Karandi seeking out this elusive fruit.

Tomato retailers have also been complaining of high tomato prices.

“While we would want to buy and resell tomatoes, the pricing is prohibitive. Few household will afford the prices and we are forced to skip the tomatoes”, said Phyllis Njoki, a small shop operator who sources her tomatoes from Mukuyu Market, just outside Murang’a Town.

A crate of tomatoes is retailing at Ksh 6,000 at the market making it prohibitively high for retailers.

According to her, retailers would make little in profits and many are forced to buy little stock or skip the fruits all together.

With no storage facilities, many retailers have been forced to stock just enough tomatoes for sale within a few days.

In Kirinyaga County’s Kagio market- considered the Mecca of vegetable sellers, prices of tomatoes have been high as farmers sell to buyers from across the country.

“Demand for tomatoes has been high- as a result of less production during the dry period. Farmers using drip irrigation have been able to make a handsome profits as their costs have been low”, remarked John Muthike, a farmer from Ngurubani in Mwea.

Farmers in the region hope that the county and national governments can come up with a tomato sauce processing factory to ease on huge transport costs incurred getting their tomatoes to townships for sale.

Egerton University's indigenous chicken upgrade programme

Indigenous Chicken programme        by Mwangi Mumero

An indigenous chicken improvement programme has been launched at Egerton University, Njoro.

Funded by the European Union through the African Union, the Smallholder Indigenous Chicken Improvement Programme (InCIP) will combine research, breeding, value addition and marketing of indigenous chicken (IC).

This is a collaborative research involving Egerton University, which is the lead, University of Malawi and Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

“We are currently at the research level of the project where we are collecting genetic resources, producing the breeding stocks and hybrids for later dissemination to farmers”, observed Professor Alexander Kahi, the Project leader and a renowned researcher in animal breeding and genomics.

According to Prof. Kahi, the first step in IC improvement has been to identify various ecotypes available in the country and seek useful attributes that can be used for breeding and multiplication purposes.

“The main purpose of the programme is to improve IC egg and meat production through proper breeding, feeding, disease control and marketing. This will in turn improve on rural farmers’ income and reduce poverty. We are also working with government agencies and other players to link up with farmers as well as poultry product processors in value addition,” noted Prof. Kahi, who is also the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture at the university.

In the last year, InCIP researchers collected ecotypes from eight counties of Kenya, namely Narok, Bomet, Bondo, Kakamega, West Pokot, Lamu, Mwingi and Taita Taveta. The performance of these ecotypes has been evaluated.

Modern DNA techniques were used in identifying different ecotypes.

“Analysis from using DNA techniques indicate that the IC in Kenya can be clustered into three. The ecotype from Narok, Bomet, Bondo, Kakamega and West Pokot belong to the same cluster. So does the ecotype from Mwingi and TaitaTaveta.  The Lamu ecotype is distinct are is referred to  the Kuchi, originally from the Far East. The Kuchi is a big bird, stands upright and shows fast growth rates”, added Prof Kahi noting that selection of IC could be done on the basis of these three clusters to pursue either egg production or meat production depending on the traits in which the IC has shown superiority in performance.

 

Improvement and breeding of IC has already started at the station level within Egerton University’s InCIP Poultry Breeding and Research Unit.

InCIP has acquired Rhode Island Red (RIR) parent stock from Hendrix Genetics of Netherlands for crossbreeding with local ecotypes for hybrid production using artificial insemination (AI).

Another breed, the Black Australorp has also been suggested as a suitable breed for crossbreeding with the local IC and is currently being used in Malawi.

While the breeding programme is currently at the station level, a US $ 40,000 ‘Mega’ incubator with a capacity of 75,000 eggs has been acquired through the InCIP for the purpose of large scale chick production once the work moves to the on-farm phase.

At the same time, the programme has been formulating and marketing quality livestock feed for smallholder and large scale farmers across Kenya.

Through a feed miller that produces over 15 bags per hour, InCIP has been able to produce feed for poultry, dairy cattle, pigs and beef cattle.

A 70kg bag of broiler starter retails at Ksh 3,500 while that of finisher goes for Ksh 3,200 The price per bag of dairy meal ranges from Ksh 2,000- 2,700

Value chain mapping of the IC is also being carried out to streamline markets which have traditionally been unreliable and unpredictable due to price fluctuations.

To improve access on IC markets, the programme has incorporated a short message service (SMS) based marketing and information system. 

With this system, rural farmers will be able to access different market prices cushioning them from exploitation by middlemen and brokers.

Another unique inclusion into the programme is the testing of a chicken greenhouse before a private company in Kenya rolls it out. While greenhouses have been popularized for use by horticultural farmers, the chicken one provides conducive environment for rearing chicken.

Researchers at InCIP note that the greenhouse effectively raises labour productivity, reduces pollution from manure and lowers infection from diseases in chicken. It also has special isolated covers to protect chicken from extreme hot or cold temperatures.

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cut flowers and EU export markets

Cut-flower sector             by Mwangi Mumero

Kenya’s floriculture sub-sector continues to grow earning the country over US$ 1 billion annually and employing over 500,000 directly and another 1 million indirectly.

A number of challenges however are impeding the full blooming of this sub-sector and its contribution to the national economy.

According to the Kenya Flower Council (KFC), the horticulture sub-sector contributed 3 per of the national GDP with 1.6 per cent coming from the cut flowers.

Data from the Kenyan Economic Survey 2013 indicates that the cut flower sector earned the country Ksh 65 billion ($ 813 million) in 2012 up from Ksh 58.8 billion ($ 735 million) in 2011.

The country is the lead exporter of cut flowers to the EU controlling 38 per cent of the market share.

Of the exports, 65 per cent are sold through Dutch auction for re-export, 25 percent to the United Kingdom with Japan, US, Russia, France and Germany taking up the  rest.

 According to horticulture validated report 2012 the main cut flowers grown in Kenya are roses  at 53.6 per cent, Easter lilies at 26.5 per cent, Arabicum at 4.1 per cent,  carnations at 3.1 per cent and Hypericum at1.98 per cent.

 “Kenya supplied 55 per cent of the flowers sold at the Netherland’s auctions and 40 per cent of the produce in the EU, placing it in a unique market position”, observed Dick Raamsdonk, the president of HPP of Netherlands, a flower event organizer.

To streamline this lucrative sub-sector, Kenya is implementing the National Compliance Mechanism by the end of 2015. This will help flower growers and exporters meet stringent rules of the importing nations.

This code of conduct will also improve labour practices and environmental conservation efforts in the sub-sector.

The Netherland Government has contributed US $ 400,000 towards this programme that will require all flower growers to institute internal quality control audits. 
Kenya has also been working to access the US markets directly providing an alternative outlet for horticultural exports.
Currently, there are no direct flights from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the US making it impossible to export flowers to that huge market.
 “We are still negotiating for direct flights to the US to reduce cost of exportation. Currently, we have to access the US market through the EU - creating logistical problems and increasing costs”, said Dr Alfred Serem, the Horticultural Crop Development Authority (HCDA), the industry regulator.
Access to the lucrative US market is expected to cushion Kenyan growers from shocks brought about by the Euro crisis as well as fluctuations in the EU’s low season.
The main cut-flower production areas are around Lake Naivasha, Mt. Kenya, Nairobi, Thika, Kiambu, Athi River, Kajiado, Kitale, Nakuru, Kericho, Nyandarua, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu and Eastern Kenya.
This wide geographical distribution of the flower growing regions has increased its economic impact to local communities, alleviating poverty in many parts of the country.
Even with the phenomenal growth of the cut-flower industry, teething challenges hamper its full exploitation.
Among these bottlenecks are stringent export conditions, taxation, high cost of inputs and increasing competition from regional nations of Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania.
Consequently, logistical costs and packaging demanded by flower buyers in the export markets have slowly eaten into the farmers’ margins, according to industry players.
To cushion themselves, growers have been advised to change their marketing strategies to be able to compete and increase earnings from flower products.

“Growers should form marketing firms and team up with exporters. This will give better returns compared with what they are getting through the Dutch auction exports”, observed Mrs. Jane Ngige, the chief executive council Kenya Flower Council.

But it is the imposing of a 16 per cent VAT on agricultural inputs, services and equipment that is worrying flower farmers.
“Increased cost of agricultural inputs will make our products uncompetitive as buyers seek cheaper alternatives. It will also lead to Kenya-based farmers to move to other markets due to the high cost of doing business”, lamented Mr. Stephen Mbiti, the CEO of the Fresh Produce Exporter Association of Kenya (FPEAK), the industry lobby.
Mrs Ngige, the Kenya Flower Council CEO adds that the issue is compounded by the delayed VAT refunds by the tax collector.

“The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is fast in charging VAT but slow to process refunds on zero-rated items. Our cash flow is affected”, she said.

High cost of credit is also another challenge hampering farmers as local bank interest rates head to 20 per cent.

While the Kenya’s Central Bank Rate has come down to a low of 11 per cent, commercial banks continue to charge 15- 20 percent interest on loans - slowing the uptake of credit for investment in agriculture and other sectors.

Speaking in a recent occasion, Kenya’s Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Kosgey said the government has laid plans that would boost the horticultural sector.

“We will partner with financial institutions both government and commercial banks to ensure easy and affordable loans for farmers in the country”, he observed.

Emergence of Ethiopia and Rwanda as flower producers is also creating industry jitters in Kenya. While the cut-flower sector in the two East African countries is at its infancy, it is expected to eat into the Kenyan pie in the near future.

“Kenya will soon face stiff competition from Ethiopia in the export of flowers to the Middle East. We now have many links to the European countries and the Middle East”, observed Mr. Mikyas Bekele Woldeyes, a field officer with Ethiopian Horticultural Producers and Exporters Association which represent 80 flowers farmers in the country.

He was attending a flower event in Nairobi aiming at widening his contacts and markets for the flower farmers in Ethiopia.

But there is a sign of relief with the anticipated signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and the East African Community (EAC) before the 2014 deadline.

An EAC ministerial session in Arusha agreed to remove sticky issues such as exports taxes and clauses in agriculture.

The EU has also softened its hardline stance on a controversial demand for reciprocal treatment by African States, provided they do not give preferential treatment to China and the US.

“The negotiations for a comprehensive trade pact are 97 per cent complete. We hope they will be concluded before the 2014 deadline so that Kenya produce does not attract any import duty unlike those of its key competitors in Latin America”, said Mrs Ngige of the KFC.

During a visit to Kenya in August 2013, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said both groups had settled most the issues, paving way for the comprehensive EPA after years of intensive negotiations for a World Trade Organisation (WTO) compatible trade regime. (ends)

African bees potential

African bee disease research             by Mwangi Mumero

African bees hold the key to unravelling resistance mechanisms for diseases that have decimated colonies in Europe and the United States, a new joint study by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) and the Pennsylvania State University Center for Pollinator Research, now says.

The study findings published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE indicates that honey bee population in East Africa appear largely resistant or tolerant of parasites and pathogens that threaten bee populations in other parts the world.

The East African bees are also not significantly affected by environmental toxins, according to the study.

 “Our results suggest that the common causes for colony losses in the United States and Europe – parasites, pathogens and pesticides – do not seem to be affecting Kenyan bees, at least not yet,” said Christina Grozinger, professor of entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State.

Researchers further note that while more than 90 percent of he honey bee colonies in the US contain pesticide residues, only four chemical residues were detected in the colonies sampled among the East African bees.

 “The low level of pesticides in hives from across Kenya, particularly when compared to levels in developed countries, suggests pesticide residues play only a limited role in honey bee health in Kenya at this time”, noted the study.

Researchers also found that bees appear resilient to a fungal parasite, Nosema apis, as well as three honey bee viruses namely deformed wing virus (DWV), black queen cell virus (BQCV) and acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV).

 “Our East African honey bees appear to be resilient to these invasive pests, which suggests to us that the chemicals used to control pests in Europe, Asia and the United States currently are not necessary in East Africa,” said Dr. Elliud Muli, the lead icipe beekeeping scientist on the study and a senior lecturer in entomology at South Eastern Kenya University.

According to the researchers, African bee keepers should avoid aggressive chemical treatments for these diseases since the honey been health systems seem entirely unaffected.

While African bees may be resistant to common diseases affecting colonies in the West, researchers observe that decline in populations is instead tied to loss in habitat and deforestation as cities expand and pristine habitat is converted into agricultural and other uses.

This has reduced availability of bee food in form of nectar and pollen as well as water.

The value of bees in food pollination across the world is immense. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), bees pollinate 71 of the 100 food crop species in the world.

“Honey bees pollinate many food crops as well as those important for economic development, and their products, like honey and wax, are vital to the livelihood of many families. Their decline would have profound impacts across the continent,” said Harland Patch, research scientist in entomology at Penn State.

Although estimates vary, the global value of insect pollination services provided for the most part by honey bees was recently placed at $US 212 billion worldwide, equivalent to just under 10 percent of total food production for human consumption.

In Kenya, only 20 percent of an estimated 100,000 metric tonnes honey production potential has been tapped in Kenya, according to the National Farmers Infomration Service (NAFIS).

With over 80 percent of the country comprising arid and semi-arid areas, honey production potential is high and can becoem a major economic activity in these regions.

Notable for their high honey production- Kitui and Baringo Counties produce most of the honey consumed in the country.

Even with the increased uptake of modern hives such as the Kenya Top Bar and Langstroth hives, over 80 percent of the honey countrywide comes from traditional log hives.

Experts say that the quality of honey is affected by the type of hive, methods of harvesting and processing among other factors.

The farmers lack adequate skills on managing bees and handling hive products. Farmers also lament on limited access to appropriate beekeepign equipment, extension services and local and international markets.

Agricultural uses of geothermal power in Kenya

Geothermal other uses              by Mwangi Mumero

While the focus on geothermal power in East Africa has mainly been on electricity generation, experts now say that its potential goes beyond into agriculture, health, tourism and hotel industries.

“Steam from geothermal power stations has potential use in agriculture, tourism and in the health sectors. Very little of this potential is currently in use in the country although it has fully been exploited in Europe and other countries”, observed Ms Marietta Mutonga, a Geoscientist Resource and Development officer with the Geothermal Development Company (GDC), at the recently ended Nakuru Agricultural Society of Kenya Show.

 This comes at a time when the Geothermal Development Corporation (GDC) – the government body responsible for geothermal power – is wooing investors to develop this huge potential.

With an estimated geothermal power potential of between 7,000 MW and 10,000 MW, Kenya is yet to fully benefit from their renewable energy as only 200 MW is exploited.  

The country expected to generate 50 per cent of its power needs from geothermal by 2018. GDC has identified 14 high temperature sites in the Great Rift Valley that have potential of producing over 15,000 MW of power if fully developed .

According to Ms Marietta, steam for power generation must have an optimal temperature of 250 degrees Celcius and above. Once this heat has been utilized to turn the turbines, the cooling temperatures can be harnessed for other uses.
“Between 90 and 100 degrees Celcius, the heat can be used in drying grain, wool, hides and skins, vegetables. Already, pyrethrum drying is taking place at Eburru in Naivasha using steam”, she said.
However, it is in horticulture where the biggest potential of geothermal steam use in agriculture lies.
In Oserian Flower Farm in Naivasha, the steam is currently being used to heat greenhouses. In particular, horticulturalists are using heat from steam to control dew point temperatures.
“Dew point temperatures are critical in the proliferation and spread of fungal diseases in the green houses. Once this is controlled, there is reduced use of fungicides, allowing horticultural exporters to escape stringent chemical checks in the European Union market”, added Ms Mutonga.
Increased temperature in the greenhouses has also boosted horticultural production by 40 per cent in companies using steam, according to GDC.

For instance, cucumbers grown at 25-27 degrees Celcius and tomatoes at 22 degrees Celcius mature fast and reach the market quickly compared to those grown in other conditions.

With the many flower companies located near Naivasha, where Ol Karia geothermal stations are based, the potential for growth in the use of steam in horticulture is immense, according to officials.
According to the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) at least 1,200 hectares are under roses in Naivasha. Rose also form the bulk of all flowers produced in the area constituting over 70 per cent and form the main flower exports from the country.
Another use of this steam heating is in aquaculture- warm water fish farming.

While this practice has not been tried in Kenya, officials note that in Iceland and Tunisia, steam from geothermal plants has been used to warm water to 30 degrees Celcius for fish farming.

Research has shown that fresh water fish such as tilapia-common in the tropics- required temperatures of 25- 30 degrees Celcius for better performance.
Pasteurization of milk and fish preservation in cold rooms have also been cited as potential uses of steam from geothermal plants.
GDC officials however acknowledge that the major challenge of using steam in agriculture and other sectors has been the expensive pumping and lagging systems.
According to these officials, it is quite expensive to take steam for long distances without losing heat along the way and therefore, it can only benefit industries that are close to the geothermal plants.
In the hotel industry and health sectors, geothermal steam is already in use in hot water spas and swimming pools.
“A 50 degree Celcius spa has already been developed in Ol Karia Geothermal station in Naivasha although it is yet to be opened to the public. It has been developed within the area under Kenya Wildlife Service meaning tourism will also be boosted by the presence of these saunas”, asserted Ms Mutonga.
A warm water swimming pool is already open to the public in Lake Bogoria in Baringo County- one of the areas where natural hot water pools are found.
Development of Menengai Geothermal plant, expected to produce 5,000 MW of electricity by 2030, will spur growth other sectors such as hotel and flower industries in Nakuru County.
The plant on the dormant Menengai Crater overlooking the fast growing town as well as ever busy Lake Nakuru National Park which received thousands of local and foreign visitors annually.

The World Bank has pledged to inject $ 118 million to toward the project - underpinning the value the Bank puts in green energy.

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