Inside Antony Kariuki's two 8-meter by 15-meter greenhouses in Isinya, Kajiado County, south of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, cucumbers, and tomatoes thrive. The farmer is currently harvesting the crops that he grew in April and he has a ready market for the produce in the sprawling urban areas in the county.
"I cannot satisfy the market," said Kariuki Monday. "These cucumbers are already booked even before I harvest. I normally harvest at least 100 kilos every Monday, with each going at 110 shillings (about 1 U.S. dollar)."
While Kariuki is harvesting handsomely from his structure, farmers in the East African nation growing the crops in the open field are reaping losses as colder weather hits the country. The cold spell has particularly affected the production of horticultural crops as chilly weather diseases set in. The cold spell started earlier in May instead of July and it has been ravaging various areas across the East African nation as temperatures in some regions fall to a low of three degrees Celsius.
In Nairobi and its environs, lower temperatures average 10 degrees Celsius and the highest 18 degrees Celsius, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department's latest forecast. This is down from an average of 24 degrees Celsius during the day and 18 degrees Celsius at night.
"The cold weather provides a perfect environment for diseases, in particular blight, to thrive," said Beatrice Macharia, an agronomist with Growth Point, an agro-consultancy. She noted that farmers growing horticultural crops in the field, in particular, tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers, potatoes, and onions are suffering due to the chilly weather.
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