Elijah Gitari grows tomatoes on his seven-acre farm in Kang’aru area Kirinyaga County. He started the venture in the 1990s as a side hustle while working as a veterinary officer in Kirinyaga County.
“As a young man, I did not love farming. I just tried crop cultivation to keep busy. But now, this is my passion,” he said.
Although his first crop was on small scale he made a tidy sum prompting him to expand his land under tomatoes. His farm hosts healthy tomatoes at different stages of maturity.
Some are just a week old after transplanting, some blossoming tomatoes, and others almost ripening. He plants each portion at a time to ensure a consistent market supply.
“When I look back, I am happy I ventured into serious farming. During peak seasons, from a single sale of tomatoes, I make more than my monthly salary,” he says.
Gitari makes millions per year in revenues from his tomatoes. From an acre, he harvests about 300 60kg crates of tomatoes. He earns about Sh1.5 million from an acre during peak seasons as the price shoots to a high of Sh5,000 to Sh6,000. He uses about Sh150,000 to produce the fruits on each acre.
How tomato farmers can beat low prices, glut, spoilage for up to 3 months
“I try to maximize my profit by having a crop ready for the market throughout the year. Seasons of high prices are more frequent than those of low prices,” he notes, adding that sometimes prices fluctuate to lows of Sh1,000 per crate.
He sells his produce to buyers around Kirinyaga County, where he says the demand for tomatoes is always high.
Tomato Planting
When preparing to produce the fruit, Gitari first takes his soil for testing to determine its deficiencies and the nutritional elements to add. He plants the tomato in a nursery where he sprays as recommended to keep off pests and diseases, especially fungal ones.
The seedlings are usually ready for transplanting after 21 to 30 days. Gitari transplants the crop while observing the recommended spacing of 60X100cm.
8 mistakes you must avoid to make money from tomato farming in Kenya
“I also constantly check the crop to ensure it is watered, fertilizer applied, sprayed, pruned, staked, and weeded as required. Where I am unsure, I consult experts,” he says.
He advises farmers seeking to try out tomato farming to plant hybrid seeds variety because their yield is double that of ordinary varieties. Hybrid seeds are also tolerant to pests and diseases, and climate change.
Gitari plants the hybrid Zara F1 tomato variety that is billed as early maturing, more productive, and disease resistant.
“I planted two blocks of Zara F1 variety and the ordinary tomatoes in another block. I have noticed that the new variety did not wilt while the ordinary variety wilted by almost 90 percent,” he said.
