Directors raise concern over graft in tea sector

Directors affiliated to Nyamache/ Itumbe factories in Kisii County have appealed to their colleagues to shun graft during the national polls for Kenya Tea Development Agency’s factories slated for Friday.

Job Ndarera and Morang’a Choti have appealed to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials to ensure the election is free, fair and transparent.

Speaking differently, the duo said they will not condone corruption during and after the election and challenged farmers to elect directors based on their development record and passion to steer tea farming to greater heights.

“I do not want farmers to gamble with the tea business. Farmers have records of directors and urge them to choose the best” Choti told Business Hub in Kisii town yesterday.

He said the demand for orthodox tea in the global market was high and challenged farmers to embrace it to boost their earnings and standard of living.

Reaping fruits

The director noted some farmers at Itumbe tea factory have embraced the tea and are reaping fruits, stressing, and the management of Nyamache tea factory is set to start processing the orthodox tea.  Choti appealed to farmers to shun intercropping tea with other crops, noting it affected the quantity and quality and fetched low prices in the global market.

“Consumers of our tea are keen with the quality of the processed tea and smell and will leave it once they realize it is poor quality” he noted.

Ndarera appealed to the farmers to ensure that they apply the fertiliser they receive from their respective factories only to tea to boost production and earnings.