Kitui horticultural farmers lose Sh42m after EU Covid restrictions

Horticultural farmers in Kyuso, Kitui, have suffered losses amounting to Sh42 million due to Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the EU on chili pepper and ravaya exportation.

The farmers said the restrictions imposed three months ago have hit them hard.

Governor Charity Ngilu on Monday promised to help them access local markets to alleviate the suffering. She spoke on Jack Mulinge's farm along the banks of River Thunguthu in Kyuso ward.

Mulinge is a member of Ithui Horticultural Farmers’ Cooperative. The society has 120 members.

Ngilu termed it sad for farmers to continue making losses even after investing millions of shillings in farm input.

The cooperative's chairman Peter Manzi told Ngilu that all was well until March when the Covid-19 global gap restrictions were imposed.

The restrictions denied their crops any entry into the European Union markets.

He said farmers were stuck with 144 tonnes of chili and 96 tonnes of Ravaya. The produce often go to waste.

Manzi said farmers lose up to Sh14 million monthly.

“With thousands of kilogrammes of the Green Demons variety of chili and ravaya going to waste owing to restrictions in our traditional EU market, we have lost a total of Sh42 million in the last three months,” he said.

Ngilu said she was surprised that acres of Green Demons chili had turned red on farms, thus becoming unattractive to the market. The produce is best when green. 

Ngilu said she will do everything possible to find markets for the farmers in the wake of the current challenges.

She promised to provide transport to deliver the produce to local markets to cushion farmers from further losses.

“I must chip in because I have an agenda to create wealth for all the people of Kitui,” Ngilu said.

She said chili that had turned red will be bought by the county government and processed to make chili sauce. She was accompanied by value addition officer in the office of the governor Temi Mutia.

She also said solar-powered irrigation will be introduced to cut the high costs incurred using petrol generators in pumping water to the farms. She said solar-powered irrigation has worked marvellously in other areas.

Edited by P.O