Lack of market for excess farm produce has demoralized farmers and scores of them have resorted to hawking in estates within Nakuru town to bypass middlemen who tend to exploit them and end up earning more than the producers.
The Chairman of smallholder farmers in the County, Michael Wachira said the restriction of movement particularly to Nairobi due to the covid-19 has shrieked their market and the value chains have been disrupted more than ever.
He said in the past there were numerous middlemen knocking at their farm gates but now they are fewer and that has reduced their bargaining power and heightened exploitation since farmers are left with no choice but to give their produce at meagre offers.
However, he said a number of farmers were now literally hawking their tomatoes, green peas, cabbages and Irish potatoes in Nakuru town estates. He was speaking to KNA in Nakuru.
He added that the current good rains have increased their produce but they lack storage facilities such as coolers for potatoes and the capacity to add value to tomatoes and greenpeas by preserving them in liquids in tins for period when there will be scarcity.
He observed that the dilemma in which farmers find themselves was beyond their control because they are skilled in production and not marketing.
By Veronica Bosibori
Hawking of farm produce escalated by Covid 19
