Tomatoes have helped him to change his fortunes

By Umar Nsubuga

Juma Ssentamu thought his hope of having a bright future had ended, when his mother got seriously sick. He thought he would have a miserable future because he was working hand in hand with his mother.

However, after thinking deeply, Ssentamu decided to leave Kalerwe market where he was working with Bevamuntuyo maize factory and went back to his home village in Busukuma in Wakiso district.

After three months of thinking where to start, “I choose to grow tomatoes because they require small piece of land, capital and they are not labour intensive. After some few months, i harvested and the results were good in just quarter an acre”, he narrates.

Since he set his foot in the garden, he has not moved back. He started with quarter an acre of tomatoes but he has expanded his project to two acres.

Today, Ssentamu has two acres of tomatoes, quarter an acre of entula and half an acre of cabbages.

After the first sale in quarter an acre, his brain had been opened. “I realised I could earn more money if I expand this project because I have almost six acres”, Ssentamu says.

Today Ssentamu’s tomato project is among the largest in Busukuma village. He says he is using traditional methods to maintain his project.

“I prefer using traditional methods than chemicals because some are not of good standards”, he says

Methods

Besides regular weeding and mulching, he uses chicken dropouts (kalimbwe) and mixes it with water after a week, he irrigates all the young tomatoes to boost soil fertility.

“This impedes the multiplication of pests. In mulching, he uses dry grass because they are better at conserving moisture and also suffocates weeds. “I always do this such that I don’t want to lose any nutrients from the soil”, he says.

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Juma sprays his tomatoes with pesticide

In this year, I have really convinced that this project may be more profitable. I have tried to plant other types of tomatoes (varieties).

Challenges

It’s important to first get the market for your tomatoes because without a dependable market huge losses are many.

“Am cheated because I sale my products on the farm because I don’t have transport means”, Ssentamu says.

There is a problem of efficient organized marketing system in the country yet I still have potential to grow more tomatoes in my garden”, he says.

Ssentamu also faces a challenge from the high cost of pesticides and unpredictable weather like this season the rainy season has been long and this has destroyed his crops like pumpkins and cabbages.

Ssentamu says extension workers are not coming to visit them yet they get different pests sometimes affects his crops yet they need experts.

Achievements

He has managed to educate his children.

He has started to benefit from his sweats “I used to work with my wife without any other man power but now I can get causal workers”, he adds.

Every week I can sell more than 20 boxes of tomatoes.

Since I joined the tomatoes project the nutrition status of my family because they eat fresh vegetables like entula, egg plants cabbages among others.

Ssentamu has also found a better method of dealing with the unpredictable seasons “I use to irrigate my tomatoes, am not affected by the weather changes”.

On average, Ssentamu says an acre of tomatoes produces like 100 boxes in season. 

Advice to farmers

Ssentamu urges parents to nurture their children to grow with farming mind. Your children will grow up knowing that they can make money, this cannot make your children suffer looking for jobs after school”

Help from government

Ssentamu urges the government to set training centres for farmers such that they improve on their farming methods such that they don’t get many losses.

He also appeals to the government to assist farmers with tractors; this will help farmers to expand our farms, and succeed in their sweats.

Future plans

His vision is to have the largest tomato project on his village.

He plans to buy a motor cycle.

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