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BROKERS:  Tea farmers in Kisii County have been urged to stop hawking green leaves to multi-national companies, saying it is affecting factories in the region.

Two directors of Nyamache and Itumbe tea factories in Nyamache sub-county, Maxwell Magoma and Job Ndarera deplored declining delivery of tea leaves to the plants. Speaking separately, the directors said Kenya Tea development agency ( KTDA) provided fertilisers to the farmers, saying it was wrong for them to sell the tea to other companies.

“The agency deducts money for the fertiliser it gives to the farmers. If the farmers deliver their tea leaves elsewhere, it will take a long time for the agency to recover the money,” Ndarera told Business Hub on phone yesterday.

The director said the multi-lateral companies had promised to pay the farmers Sh30 per kg of green tea leaves to woo them to deliver the tea leaves to their companies.

He appealed to the farmers to apply the fertiliser as required to boost the quality and quantity of the tea to fetch high prices in the global market and boost their earnings.

Magoma asked farmers to embrace a new variety which produces 3 kgs of tea leaves per year compared to the current which produces less than a kilogram.