“The wholesaler is not benefiting in any way because we are losing business, we do not have that onion which contributes 20% of our business. The farmer is not benefiting because the confidence in growing the plant is reducing, as they are seeing imports still coming into the country. We would like to see businesses being supported, but as long as the situation continues to be like this no one will benefit,” he said.
Mushori said the main products that contribute to fruit and vegetable wholesales are onions and apples.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA), Ministry of Agriculture and FPMAZ last year found that despite farmers growing fewer yields, onions were still finding their way into the country.
Since the Ministry of Industry and Commerce carried out research to determine which products in the market could be easily accessed locally, they have been placing embargoes and higher import charges on imported goods to help local producers stay competitive.
“What we do is come up with a list of products, which farmers say they are able to produce in a certain period and agree on which ones we can import,” Mushori said.
