Farmers in Lari and Gatundu South, Kiambu county, have sighed relief after their tea earnings were increased from Sh44.25 to Sh50.92 per kg.
The farmers who deliver their crop to Kagwe Tea Factory had boycotted picking tea for three days to protest against a meagre bonus payout that was announced by Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) last week.
They lamented that despite increasing production and maintaining quality of tea, the factory management reneged on their promise to pay farmers more than Sh50 per kg of the tea. The farmers had high hopes of reaping huge proceeds from their produce.
However, the backlog of unsold tea at the Mombasa auction hugely affected Kagwe Tea Factory farmers as some 480,000kg of their orthodox made tea remain unsold. Failure to secure markets for the tea has hugely affected the farmers’ pay.
Meagre pay
To address the impasse and woo farmers to troop back to their farms, KTDA Zone 1 Board Director Gabriel Kagombe revealed proper plans have been made to ensure that some 300,000kg of the unsold tea gets to the market. This, he said, will increase the farmers’ earnings and ensure that their pay rises to Sh50.92 per kg.
Kagombe who doubles as the Gatundu South MP pointed an accusing finger to Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) management saying they have frustrated sale of orthodox tea while pursuing selfish interests through their brokerage firms.
The MP who was accompanied by his Lari counterpart Mburu Kahangara, noted an attempt to monopolise orthodox tea marketing by a few individuals have been hurting farmers with delayed and meagre pay for their produce.
Financial hiccups
“I am also sending a stern warning to KTDA employees at the factory, who have been harassing farmers including using uncouth and foul language towards the growers. They must stop disrespecting our farmers or they go home,” said Kagombe.
On his part, Kahangara called on KTDA management and leaders to prioritise farmers’ interests including ensuring tea Kenyan tea is sold on time so as to save farmers from the agony and anguish of receiving pitiable pay for their hard toil.
Farmers welcomed the decision and efforts to improve their earnings by Sh6.67, saying that it will go a long way in solving some of the financial hiccups they are facing including settling their loan facilities as well as providing basic necessities for their families.
They promised to call off the tea plucking boycott and work hard in their farms to improve yields while maintaining production of high quality tea.
