Kirinyaga farmers reaping big from seedling propagation

Seedling propagation is turning into a profitable venture for farmers in Kirinyaga county as demand for healthy and readily available planting materials increases.

About 60 farmers groups have been supported by the county government to establish greenhouses for tomato seedling nurseries for sale to growers.

The seedlings are grown under drip irrigation in the greenhouses.

Kirinyaga is a mega producer of tomatoes in Kenya. The county produces about 63,000 tonnes of tomatoes, earning farmers around Sh1.5 billion annually.

Jane Njeri, the chairperson of Mwihoko Jericho Women Group in Thiba, Mwea, said venturing into seedling propagation is helping members get extra income to meet their demands.

Njeri said due to unpredictable market prices for tomatoes, the group decided to engage in seedling propagation after realising there was a gap.

“We realised farmers were going all the way to Naivasha to buy readily available propagated tomato seedlings, the demand is high and we are expanding slowly to propagate more seedlings,” she said.

John Njongolo, the chairman of Tebere ward Community Driven Deployment Committee (CDDC), said hundreds of farmers have been trained by experts on how to propagate seedlings.

“The knowledge-based propagation training combines’ horticulture expertise and industry awareness with the use of cutting-edge technology in the production of healthy planting material,” he said.

Simon Muriithi, Ngariama ward CDDC chairman said four groups in his area have put up greenhouses ready to start planting into two weeks’ time.

“Our main problem in this area is unfavourable climatic conditions for propagating seedlings. Now with these greenhouses provided by the county government, we are sure that we will be able to get readily available seedlings for planting and selling throughout the year,” he said.

Governor Anne Waiguru said the farmers have been supported through Wezesha Kirinyaga empowerment programme to propagate tomato seedlings.

She said tomato growing groups have received Sh30 million for construction of greenhouses and drip irrigation systems. This, she said, will enable them to grow tomato varieties suitable for processing in the second phase of National Agricultural Rural Inclusive Growth (NARIG) projects.

She said under Wezesha Kirinyaga programme, the county government plans to construct a tomato processing factory in Kangai so farmers can add value to their produce for better income.

The governor said with increased tomato production, her administration decided to construct its first exclusive tomato market in Makutano.

She said the facility which will accommodate about 500 traders is almost complete.

“The market will offer a conducive environment for tomato farmers to aggregate their produce for sale. The market is a great relief because traders who have been selling by the roadside have been displaced by the ongoing expansion of the Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual carriageway,” Waiguru said.

Makutano, which is the second-largest tomato market in the county after Kagio market, targets wholesale and retail tomato traders from the neighbouring counties as well as some from Nairobi and Mombasa.

Edited A.N