Zanzibar tomato prices up as pest destroys crop
facing huge losses due to a major pest
invasion, which is reaching epidemic
proportions.
Scientifically known as Tuta absoluta,
the pest has originated from South
America.
In September 2015, the pest struck
Kombeni Village in Urban West Region
in Unguja Island, before spreading fast
in the entire Zanzibar archipelago. The
head of Field Services Section in the
Ministry of Agriculture and Natural
Resources in Zanzibar, Mr Suleiman
Juma Machano, said the pest has cut
harvests of Zanzibar‘s “red gold” by
nearly 70 per cent, creating a serious
commodity shortage.
This implies that farmers realised only
30 per cent of the harvest last season,
pushing up the prices of tomatoes
beyond reach of majority poor folks.
Whereas consumers create high demand,
brokers are cashing in as prices soared
from Sh1,000 to Sh4,000 per kilograme
in just a month as shortage bites.
“The situation is bad. We are now forced
to import tomatoes from Mainland
Tanzania , where the shortages also
exists due to similar reasons,” Mr
Khalfan Nassoro told The Citizen.
The permanent secretary in the Ministry
of Agriculture and Natural Resources
here, Mr Affan Othman Maalim, told The
Citizen that the government was
consulting scientists from Mainland
Tanzania to advise the best way to
control the pest.
“This pest is new in Zanzibar… we
haven’t seen it before so we are
consulting experts from the Mainland to
see if they can help us,” Mr Maalim said.
The Tuta absoluta outbreak first
occurred at Ngarenanyuki in Arumeru
District, Arusha Region, mid 2014, from
where it spread to other places in
Tanzania.
Morogoro-based Magole farm, probably
the country’s biggest commercial
producer of tomatoes has seen its 35
acres completely destroyed by the pest,
leaving the management weeping.
Magole farm assistant manager Jones
Murege told The Citizen that they lost
nearly 1,000 tonnes of tomato worth
Sh700 million.
The Tanzania Horticultural Association
says the pest threat is real and if nothing
is done immediately, the entire tomato
production will be destroyed, denying
the economy Sh300 billion annually.
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