Farmers in Tana River County struggle to make profits in a market dominated by brokers who exploit them and influence the price of mangoes when harvested. In an effort to improve the livelihoods of farmers from Tana River County, Coast Development Authority is in the process of installing a new mango processing plant in Hola. The plant will benefit approximately 3000 farmers from Tana River, 1500 indirectly (youth & women) and over 30,000 households from Kilifi, Lamu and Garissa Counties. The plant has a capacity to process 8 tonnes per day with the possibility of expanding to 16 tonnes in two shifts.
The project is financed through the Ministry of East African & Regional Development in collaboration with Tana River County Government, Ministry of Agriculture, Galole Co-operative and other stakeholders in the County. This intervention will contribute to reduction of post-harvest losses experienced by farmers, increased mango shelf-life, creation of more market through value-addition and reduction of brokers’ domination in the market.
Tana River mango season begins from April, peaks in July and ends in August. During these 4-5 months, there is an oversupply of the fruit in the market, which has seen farmers struggle with post-harvest losses, estimated at between 40-50 per cent and poor prices. Farmers remain at the mercy of traders (mainly brokers) who offer very low prices. During the peak season, the farm price is sometimes Sh3 per piece. A few farmers may be lucky to sell their fruits from Sh.7 to Sh.9 per piece. A price survey at retail outlets in Tana River showed that the ‘ngowe mango’ costs 3 times than the price sold at the farm. Among the various actors, the vulnerable farmer is the one who bears the greatest cost of the losses.
To enhance sustainable production of quality mangoes, the Authority in partnership with the Ministry of East African & Regional Development has embarked on capacity-building farmers in orchard establishment and management, good agricultural practices, post-harvest handling, value-addition and so on. This will ensure high yields and a constant supply of quality raw material for continuous production. CDA is working closely with the County Government of Tana River and Galole Co-operative to sensitize farmers on best measures to curb brokers from accessing mangoes at their farms. This will help farmers have a strong bargaining power for their produce in the near future.
