Smallholder tea farmers in Kiambu County are set to receive increased payment for every kilo of green leaf sold to Kenya Tea Development Agency from January next year.
Kiambu County KTDA board member, David Muni said the increased pay is as a result of improved cash flows by the agency from the successful implementation of tea reforms that the government set to mitigate against the declining earning by the smallholder tea growers.
“The reserve price at the auction has cushioned farmers by ensuring their teas are not sold below a certain price point. Another thing that will lift farmers’ monthly earnings is improved to tea quality and quantity ,expanded markets ,improved tea prices in the international markets and dropped cost of production,“ said Ronoh.
Ronoh implored on the farmers to embrace technology through the implementation of automated tea manufactures and processing and mechanical tea harvesters that will gradually replace the hand pickers.
“There is a misconception that the mechanization of tea picking will result in joblessness. Mechanization is a key components of technology that will see farmers intensify their production for better earnings,” added Ronoh.
Lower tea production is attributed to drought conditions and depressed rainfall which dominated farm output resulting in the contraction of the agricultural sector.
Ronoh called on farmers to apply fertilizer to tea bushes to ensure consistent high quality and premium tea production.
