Tomato farmers in the Mubuku Irrigation Scheme are counting heavy losses following a surge in pests and diseases that have devastated their crops, leaving many rotten and unsellable.
During a visit to gardens in Scheme Ward, Nyamwamba Division, Kasese Municipality, farmers described the scale of destruction, blaming the outbreak for a sharp drop in yields and income.
Hudhaifa Turyamureba, a farmer in Phase One of the Mubuku Irrigation Scheme, identified Tuta absoluta — locally known as kadwoima — as the main culprit.
“This is how the pest eats up the tomato. When it rots like this, it means there is no more profit,” Turyamureba said, displaying a ruined harvest.
He explained that the pest damages both the leaves and the fruits, with devastating effects on production.
Lucky Tukamusherura, another affected farmer, said the situation has been made worse by the pest’s resistance to chemicals that previously offered protection.
“The chemicals we use are no longer effective against the pests, yet they are very expensive. We end up spending a lot but getting little in return,” Tukamusherura said.
The farmers are now appealing to the government to intervene by providing affordable and effective pesticides.
They also decried the low market prices for their tomatoes, blaming the poor quality caused by the infestation.
“We request the government to find us better chemicals because currently we invest much and harvest little,” Turyamureba said.
Wilberforce Rukundo, a field agronomist at the Mubuku Irrigation Scheme, partly blamed poor farming practices for fuelling the crisis.
He noted that some farmers have been replanting seeds harvested from previously infested plants, allowing the pest problem to persist.
“The cycle continues because farmers plant seeds from affected plants. We must break this cycle to see any improvement,” Rukundo said.
Kasese Municipality Agricultural Officer, Asanairi Bukanywa, promised that the government would soon roll out programmes to raise awareness about proper agricultural practices.
“Plans are underway to start sensitization campaigns aimed at educating farmers on better practices to control pests and boost production,” Bukanywa said.
For now, the farmers in Mubuku remain hopeful that with timely government intervention, they can recover from the setbacks and restore their gardens to productivity.