- Government has banned flights from affected countries
- Many EU countries affected by the pandemic
- This has led to total lockdown
- Naivasha has over 50 flower and vegetable farms
Fresh producers in the country are crying foul over freight charges which have tripled in the last one month due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
With several European Union countries fon lockdown, the export of the vegetables and fruits has dropped by over 50 percent with farmers already sending their staff home.
According to Edward Mureu, the proprietor of Naivasha based Rubi Ranch, the country is staring at hunger and major job losses in the coming months.
Mureu noted that Kenya Airways and British Airways had canceled all their flights to the EU leading to a crisis in exporting their products.
“For years we have relied on the two airlines to export our products and with their closure, we have moved to other airlines that are charging triple the normal prices,” he said.
Speaking during a tour of his farm, Mureu said that already he has been forced to send home fifty percent of his workforce meaning a drop in production.
“The demand in various European countries has also dropped sharply due to the lockdown meaning we have to reduce our production and also workforce,” he said.
The farmer who deals in French beans, broccoli, baby corn among other produce called on the government to zero-rate farm inputs and lower the cost of electricity tariffs.
“The curfew has also affected us, as workers have to work lesser hours and we also produce for the local market which could be affected by the current challenges,” he said.
One of the workers Fanice Nasimiyu said that the disease had raised fear and anxiety among the workers who had no other source of livelihood.
“Our colleagues have been sent home, production has gone down due to the Coronavirus crisis and we do not know the fate our jobs,” she said.
Separately, Agricultural Employers Association (AEA) chief executive Wesley Siele said that the drop in the exports is a result of limited movement of consumers in Europe.
Siele said that supermarkets mainly in the UK, Sweden and Russia were still ordering fresh produce from the country though getting cargo flights is a challenge.
“People have to eat despite the pandemic and though the exports have dropped to 50 percent the fresh produce exporters are doing better unlike the flower farmers,” he said.
Ends.