The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Mango farmers in Mwingi North, Kitui County, are facing heavy losses as large quantities of ripe mangoes go to waste due to limited market access.
Farmers from Itivanzou and Kamuwongo in Kyuso say they are unable to sell their harvests because the market is flooded, leaving them with nowhere to offload their produce.
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During a visit to Malili village in Itivanzou on Saturday, farmer Rose Munywoki showed press heaps of mangoes that remain unsold.
“Production is huge, but I have nowhere to take the fruits. Buyers are overwhelmed because all the mangoes ripened at once. Most farms are overflowing with ready mangoes,” she said.
To avoid complete losses, Munywoki has been donating some of her fruits to pupils at nearby Kingingo Comprehensive School.
“The learners’ cross-country route passes my farm, so I give them mangoes as they pass. Each child takes one or two fruits, which makes me happy because I am sharing,” she explained.
Even after giving away large quantities, she is still left with more mangoes than she can manage, forcing her to discard some once they start rotting.
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She urged the Kitui County Government to focus on value addition initiatives, such as producing mango flakes and juice, and improving market access.
“If a large factory were established in Kitui to process mangoes into juice and flakes, like in other regions, it would save us from huge losses whenever we have surplus harvests,” she said, pointing to a massive heap of unsold mangoes at her store.
At Kwa Nguru trading centre, another farmer, Nzama Musili, said it was becoming increasingly difficult to prevent mangoes from rotting.
“I came here hoping to sell my mangoes, but buyers aren’t showing up because almost everyone has mangoes ready. I haven’t sold a single fruit yet, but I’m still waiting,” he said.
Jacob Musyoka, who farms along the Thunguthu River in Kyuso, said the mango market has become a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.
“Farmers must transport mangoes to as many distant markets as possible to avoid losses from rotting, and even then, the fruits are sold at throwaway prices,” he explained.
Kitui County Agriculture CEC Stephen Kimwele said the government has introduced several interventions.
“We have mapped mango belts across the county and formed Farmers’ Producer Organizations to promote value addition, aggregation, and collective marketing,” he said.
This approach aims to increase farmers’ bargaining power, reduce exploitation by middlemen, and provide access to larger and more competitive markets.
The county has also provided inclusion grants to cooperatives to help them mobilise members and operate effectively.
Kimwele noted that the government has partnered with the private sector to collect mangoes through organised cooperatives, citing the Kitui West Horticulture Cooperative Society in Mutonguni, which aggregates produce.
“Our main challenges are that many farmers are not organised into cooperatives and the quality of mangoes for export,” he said.
He added that, in collaboration with JKUAT, farmers are being trained on technological innovations and management practices to reduce losses caused by fruit flies.
“We are also encouraging private investors to set up mango processing plants in Kitui. Land is available under the County Aggregation and Industrial Park Programme for such initiatives,” Kimwele said.
