By Morris Githenya
A sharp focus is on the production of quality tea with eyes on rogue processing plants accused of sabotaging the market as the country moves to explore new routes.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has ordered the law enforcers to back the Tea Board of Kenya in the crackdown on the rogue tea processors in the west of Rift behind the poor quality.
In a move celebrated by the smallholders from the Mt Kenya region, Gachagua said action should be taken to ensure Kenya tea quality remains high and respectable.
Speaking in Mombasa, when he addressed Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) affiliated factories directors during the closure of the week-long induction course, the DP said the government must protect the interests of the 800,000 tea growers and thus focus on the improvement of quality.
“I direct TBK leadership to pursue the errant producers who are out to sabotage our tea as we are working on looking for the market while others are producing low-quality produce,” said the DP.
He said the directors must work towards reducing the production costs, with energies on improved sales and quality green leaf at the farm level.
Gachagua emphasized that the government had an unswerving interest in the sector calling on the players to ensure the cost of production was brought down to a manageable level to enable the farmers to reap better returns.
He noted that the sector was important as it earns the country foreign exchange worth billions annually.
Accompanied by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Dr Francis Karanja, Agriculture PS Paul Rono and KTDA leadership led by the chairman Enos Njeru, Gachuagua said there was a need for cost-effective measures to curb the wastage of resources as the directors should focus on exploring new markets and embark on value addition.
He proposed that KTDA subsidiaries that make losses should be shut down.
“The investment in loss-making businesses without returns to the farmer should be closed and a forensic audit conducted,” said Gachagua.
The DP said KTDA should increase the sale of value-added tea from the current 1% to 40% by 2027, as Sri Lanka, a leading producer of the commodity was doing 50 per cent in the value addition.
“The regulator should deal with tea brokers and other players in the value chain who mess the sector their licenses should be revoked immediately and surcharged,” noted Gachagua.
On his part, Njeri said there was a need for the directors to collectively address tea quality in their areas to ensure the farmers interests are looked at.
He said production of quality alone is not enough and thus, there was need for combined efforts to produce top-notch tea that will only bear fruit if the end product is successfully absorbed by the market.
KTDA, the DP said, was committed to expanding its market share through retaining the existing markets but also exploring new ones.
“ I challenge the directors to be innovative in finding new routes to take our teas to the market,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary said the government targets tea sales will increase from KSh180 billion to KSh360 billion by the year 2027 while the volumes rise from 20 million kilogrammes to 25 million kilogrammes in the same year.
“We are also set to have the price of the commodity from KSh59 to KSh90 by the year 2027,” said the Agriculture CS.
The PS said the stocks of unsold teas have reduced from 100 million kilogrammes to 37 million.
“Following the directive to remove the reserved price on our teas, in the shortest time we have managed to reduce the unsold stock,” said Dr Rono.
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