By Betty Luke
Isiolo residents are forced to dig deeper into their pockets to buy tomatoes whose price continues to shoot by the day due to a shortage of the commodity.
Currently, a kilogram of tomatoes is being sold at Sh100 up from Sh60 in February while four medium-sized tomatoes are selling at Sh50, a quantity that previously sold at Sh20.
Reduced supply of tomatoes locally, due to reduced rainfall, has forced the vendors to source the product from as far as Nakuru County incurring extra expenses in transportation.
A 64-kilogram crate of tomatoes is currently being sold at Sh6, 400, an increase of Sh2560 from the previous price.
“We are getting the tomatoes from Subukia in Nakuru County incurring a lot of expenses,” said Hellen Wachira, a trader at Kasarani market.
She expressed fears that they could continue incurring losses due to the reduced number of customers and perishable nature of tomatoes.
“I disposed off a number of kilos of rotten tomatoes as customers have reduced. I have also reduced the quantity I buy to ensure I do not continue incurring losses,” she said.
The high prices coupled with the economic effects of Covid-19 has forced the majority of the residents to instead use tomato paste sold in sachets which go for as little as Sh15 at local shops.
“I no longer cook food with tomatoes. I just do onions and that’s all. Nyanya imekuwa kama gold (tomato has become like gold),” said Agnes Karimi, a Bulapesa resident.
