As tree tomato farming takes a leap to the next level of value addition through processing, one visionary farmer in Kenya has already positioned himself for the opportunity. Inside his agro-processing plant in Mweiga,
some 20 minutes drive from Nyeri Town, machines cling as they fill plastic
bottles of various sizes with juice and jam. Two workers watch keenly as the
machines do the work, ensuring everything goes on right, while Daniel Kiboi,
the owner of the agro-processing plant, looks on with satisfaction.
Kiboi’s story is one of a tree tomato farmer
betrayed by a harsh market for raw products in Kenya, but did not give up,
choosing to add value to the fruits by setting up the Sh3 million facility that
he has named Tamarillo Company. He now adds value to sweet red fruits, making
jam and juice that he sells mainly in the town and counties.
“I used to grow tree tomatoes some two years ago and would transport the fruits to Marikiti market in Nairobi twice a week. But as is the norm there, the prices would be dictated by the brokers; one day I would sell at Sh100 a kilo and the next Sh50 and then payment would come sometimes even after two weeks,” recounts Kiboi.
The experience made him frustrated, says the
farmer, who notes that, “If you want to break a farmer, fail to pay them on
time.”
Together with his wife, he enrolled at Jomo
Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) where he did a short
course in agro-processing. They later sourced machines from Nairobi’s
Industrial Area and set up the company in 2018.
“We have been in business since then, adding
value to tree tomatoes (tamarillo) and so far, so good,” he says, adding that
the locally manufactured machines are efficient and durable.
The journey to setting up an agro-processing factory
in Kenya is not all easy but worth it. To start, he got licenses from the
National Construction Authority to enable him construct the building and then
submitted an environmental impact assessment report to the National Environment
and Management Authority. He further went for a single business permit from the
county government and applied for Kenya Bureau of Standards certification.
Kiboi has contracted several farmers in
Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Laikipia counties, who supply him with the giant red
oratia tree tomato variety that he reckons is sweet and has better yields.
“We pay the farmers Sh80 a kilo and this is
constant unlike brokers. The least delivers 200kg,” he says.
Tree tomatoes flower continuously meaning
that they are available all-year round. And in case there is a deficit in
supply, he sources the fruits from Meru and other areas.
He visits the contracted farmers regularly to
ensure they grow the crop right since there are few extension officers who have
mastered the art of tree tomato farming.
“Before buying the fruits, I check the
variety and the size. I prefer the red oratia which is best for juices and jam
and the bigger the fruit, the better as it gives me more yields,”
Diseases like fungal blight and powdery
mildew and pests such as aphids and caterpillars attack the crop.
Once he gets the fruits from his farm and
from other farmers, he stores them in a dark room for two weeks to ensure the
bitterness in the fruit ‘goes away’. He, thereafter, cleans the fruit
thoroughly and cuts off the stalk that he says stores the bitterness. The fruit
is then blanched.
“We then put the fruits in a pulper that
removes the skin and seeds which also contain resin contributing to the
bitterness of the fruit.”
The pulp formed goes through a pasteurisation
process to kill all microbes.
“It is done at 75℃ and takes 15 minutes. We
then add 10% of water to reduce the thickness, sugar and preservatives that
help the juices and jam to have a shelf-life of four months,” he says.
Kiboi’s factory produces 300 litres of juice
per hour, and as the market picks up, he hopes to process two tonnes of fruits
per hour.
“Tree tomato is very rich in pectin which is
the jellying agent and before one thinks of value addition, you have to first
understand the chemistry of the fruit,” notes Kiboi, a former agronomist, who
has employed six graduates of food and testing from the Dedan Kimathi
University of Technology and JKUAT.
Tamarillo (tree tomato) does well in tea and
coffee growing zones. It does not do well in areas that are prone to flooding
and are windy.
The main challenge is that farmers have grown
different varieties including yellow, gold and red oratio, all which taste
different.
“I prefer the red oratia but usually I blend
it with other varieties to have a unique taste.”
Tree tomatoes have a wide range of health
benefits and is recommended for people suffering from diabetes, hypertension
and serves as an anti-oxidant.
“There is a lot of misrepresentation out
there that the fruit is bitter, therefore, has it has a lot of additives but
that is not the case,” he says.
He makes one litre juices and 250ml jam that
sells at between Sh100 and Sh250. Robert Mwangi, an agricultural specialist in
Nyeri, says being the sole processor of the fruit, Kiboi should ensure he has
gets fruits all-year round and capitalise on the monopoly.
Tree tomato farming is relatively easy in most parts of Kenya. We have also compiled this comprehensive tree tomato farming guide for Kenya with step by step information from planting through to harvesting and marketing. It also contains budget estimates. It is now available on PDF so you can even read it from your phone while at the farm. You can request for your copy through our Resources Page.
Article by: Irene Mugo, Nation Media.
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