On a 10-acre farm in Kendege village, Migori, two women work under the scorching sun to pack tomatoes in a bucket for customers; a bucket of tomatoes fetches Ksh 500.
Susan Boke and Sarah Ghati, tomato sellers at Kehancha and Migori markets, say they’ve saved a lot of money on travel because they can now purchase produce closer to home.
Peter Chacha Mwita is the farmer who spearheaded the campaign to grow veggies closer to home.
He stated that he started the company after leaving his job as a farmhand at the enormous Delamere Farm.
“I had Ksh 200,000 savings and decided to take up horticulture farming back home after trying several times in smaller parcels of land. That is before I approached the local leadership led by Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama to have access to this land,” he said.
Mwita grows eight different varieties of crops, namely cucumber, garlic, onions, cabbages, collards, watermelons, sunflower and beetroot.
“We partner with Kendege Technical Institute where the farm is used as a demonstration for students and youths. The youths who are used to seeking handouts from politicians found this venture to be worthwhile,” he said.
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Mwita stated that in the region, horticulture growing has been abandoned in favor of maize, tobacco and bean farming, despite a massive demand and supply mismatch that has led traders to seek veggies all the way to Tanzania.
“The venture has revolutionised my life and I don’t intend to quit. On average, I cash between Ksh 7000 and Ksh 10,000 from the farm just from vegetables. Prices however shoot during dry seasons,” he said.
He claims that a 90kg bag of mature cucumber and courgette sells for Ksh 9,000, and that he may sometimes produce up to 200 bags from his enormous farm.
“Both cucumber and courgette take three months to mature and once ready, they are harvested twice weekly. I often sell them off to Nairobi-bound traders who take them at a good price,” he says.
Mwita also supplies kale and cabbages to neighboring schools, which he claims has resulted in him employing six young people to assist manage his enormous farm, in addition to traders who come for produce.
In 2019, he competed in the Nairobi International Trade Fair and finished second overall, bringing Migori county to the forefront.
