Lydiah Wamuyu, a farmer located in Karatina, Nyeri County, is achieving significant profits from her tree tomato farming, a widely recognized agribusiness in the area.
Her establishment, known as Mwangi wa Matunda farm, is home to 1,000 tree tomato plants.
The farmer disclosed that she chose to pursue tree tomato cultivation after discontinuing her cabbage farming, which required considerable labor.
“We had planted 3,000 cabbages and it was costly. During that time, one cabbage was selling at Sh30 so we got about Ksh 90,000. However, after deducting expenses, we were left with little money,” she said.
With the assistance of her husband, Wamuyu cultivated 300 tree tomatoes, which they procured from a family acquaintance.
They were thrilled to sell a kilogram of tree tomatoes for Ksh 100, resulting in a total revenue of Ksh 30,000.
“Tree tomato farming is less labor intensive, and I just add fertilizer and water the crop as I wait to harvest after every two weeks,” she added.
Motivated by their profitable returns, they opted to broaden their operations by planting additional trees.
The farmer indicated that tree tomatoes require approximately three to five years to mature for harvesting following planting.
Furthermore, the production increases as the trees develop.
Her 1,000 trees produce around three to five kilograms each month.
The farmer has established a reliable market, selling each kilogram for between Ksh 80 and Ksh 100.
Payments are made immediately, allowing Wamuyu to earn between Ksh 300,000 and Ksh 500,000 in a favorable month from her tree tomato farming enterprise.
“But, it takes time and good management of the trees to get good returns. The only challenge is the white fruit fly which we manage by spraying,” she said.
Besides tree tomato farming, the farmer also produces seedlings and trains other farmers on tree tomato farming.
“We sell one tree tomato seedling at Ksh 50 and train farmers on tree tomato farming at Ksh 1,000 per session,” she said.