There are a number of benefits to shaping tomato plants by pruning and trellising. Shaping tomato plants will enhance air circulation and ventilation, optimise space and sunlight, improve growth balance between roots, leaves and fruit, and make the most of your working space. PRUNING Pruning simply means the removal of…
In this article, we focus on the fungal infections every tomato producer should guard against. In wet weather it is advisable to place a handful of grass under any fruit that is in direct contact with the soil. Pruning tomato plants is not recommended as this usually results in a…
It is believed that successful farming requires a lot of land, but Ugandan veterinarian and farmer Dr. Emma Naluyima believes that with creativity you can build a productive farm on a small piece of land. Emma divided her 1 acre (0.4 hectare) piece of land into 4 quarters. On the…
The price of tomatoes in Zambia soared to K290 per box from a low of K120. The Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) attributed the increase to scarcity of the crop as a result of diseases and high input costs. “There is a low supply as most farmers suffered losses due…
The Ghanaian government has ordered a tomato processing factory in the capital Accra to close down because it has been operating without a licence. Happy Sunshine, which generally imports Chinese La Vonce tomato paste and re-packages it for sale in West African markets, was fined GHC15 000 and closed down…
Are you interested in producing tomatoes? Here’s some useful information from experts and farmers. Tomato: The versatile and vulnerable crop Due to its susceptibility to pests and diseases, the tomato is considered to be a tricky crop and growers have to stay on their toes to keep their lands disease…
Zambia can be the region’s major exporter of tomato paste, said Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Director of Industry and Agriculture, mr. Thierry Kalonji. Kalonji said investment in tomato processing plants will reverse the situation where Zambia imports tomato paste, despite being a large producer of raw…
Brian Musonda (57) runs a mixed farming operation on his 10ha small-scale commercial farm outside the Copperbelt town of Ndola. An engineer, who graduated from, a German Polytech, Brian has spent the greater part of his working life in the engineering sector. At some point he realised that farming was a…
Warmer weather conditions, coupled with the lack of frost this winter, led to an over-supply of tomatoes. If the warm weather persists, potatoes will also become even more cheaper. Lower prices coupled with an oversupply of tomatoes at South Africa’s national fresh product markets will likely affect tomato farmers until…
Dr Tamara Kaunda, 27, a medical doctor who studied in China, made a fairly dramatic career change when she switched from medicine to the farming of seedlings. What drove young Tamara Kaunda to swap her stethoscope for a seedling tray? Tamara says she made the decision on her first day…
The Ministry of Agriculture removed 20 000 so-called ghost farmers from the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to eliminate malpractices. “Most of the people who benefit from FISP are not farmers, and this exercise is to ensure the programme benefits the intended smallholder farmers,” said Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya. Siliya…
The Zambian government has backtracked on banning the import of agricultural produce. The reversal of the ban was confirmed yesterday by Commerce, Trade and Industry permanent secretary Kayula Siame, at a media briefing in Lusaka. Siame said Zambia – being bound by trade protocols of the Common Market for Eastern…
The Zambian government has broadened the number of crops to be covered under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to accelerate crop diversification. Agricultural minister Dora Siliya said the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will buy all crops produced by farmers under FISP. “FISP will now support about 10 crops to…
Let us focus on the diseases every tomato producer should guard against. Wet weather is always difficult for tomato plants so stop contact between fruit and soil by putting grass around the plant and under the fruit. Don’t be tempted to prune because it will reduce your yield and leave…
Drying your tomatoes allows you to store them for up to a year. It is a clever way to add value to your harvest at a relatively low cost. Fleshy tomatoes with the least amount of juice works best for drying tomatoes. Long, egg shaped tomatoes are the ideal choice.…
Prices for tomatoes are climbing again after dropping by as much as 70% in the last few months. A quick survey at Lusaka’s Soweto market, the country’s main outlet for fresh produce, indicated that a 25kg crate of tomatoes was now selling at between K100 and K120. The same quantity…
When you meet Miyanda Maimbo Katiwa, you understand why this veritable pioneer of Zambia’s job recruitment industry is making waves in farming. She charges around her farm with unrestrained enthusiasm, showing off her prized products with obvious pride. One minute she is explaining the market realities of farming, the next…
It is tomato harvesting time and markets are flooded with tomatoes. Tomatoes are fruit that can be preserved very easily and cheaply for later use. Preserving tomatoes provides a way to add value to your product and enables you to provide a product to the market outside of harvesting season.…
Michael Cordes, marketing specialist from South Africa, talks about important lessons he learnt from the late Bertie van Zyl of ZZ2 farming, probably the biggest field-grown tomato operation in the southern hemisphere. MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES Smallholder farmers are always on the lookout for opportunities to grow and expand their…
He stopped to admire a field of healthy looking tomatoes. And that gave Jones Shimbela (34) the idea to grow it himself. More than 12 months later he has his own thriving agriculture enterprise, harvesting nearly 2 000 crates of 25kg of tomatoes on a 50m by 100m piece of…
The Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) is incensed by the influx of cheap agricultural imports that have flooded the local market. This while an international survey showed multi-national supermarkets in southern Africa were stifling the growth of small-scale farmers. ZNFU president Jervis Zimba says cheap imports are hurting the local…
He’s a white collar worker who left the comfort of a corporate job to toil on a farm. And engineering graduate Gyavira Bwalya (49) is one of several farmers to do just this. Farming is Gyavira Bwalya’s first love, and he had no choice but to divide his time between…
Higher demand for fertilisers have pushed up prices in Zambia. A survey conducted by africanfarming.com revealed that a 50kg bag of D-Compound was sold at K290 from K270, while Urea had gone up to K270 from K235 since last week. Dina Chembea, a small scale farmer from Mumbwa, 30 kilometers…
In some countries tomatoes are picked when they change colour from green to the initial stage of ripening. For better flavour, tomatoes should be harvested after the colour has changed completely. Plant nutrients, climate, fruit management, pre- and post harvesting temperatures as well as logistics all affect the shelf-life of…
