The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has begun a Sh40 million programme to replace 600,000 ageing tea bushes with the higher-yielding TRFK 300 variety.
The project will be rolled out across the country, with particular attention to Nyeri County, which produces 73 million kilogrammes of green leaf annually. County officials expect the new variety to double current production, although replacing the old bushes could take up to two years.
KTDA acting General Manager for Operations Kanja Thuku said most of the targeted bushes were more than 50 years old and yielded an average of one kilogramme per plant. TRFK 300, developed by the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya, is expected to raise output significantly.
“The Sh40 million programme will be spread across the country in a bid to help farmers replace tea bushes and at the same time engage on other income-generating projects,” Thuku said.
Because farmers will lose tea income while the replacement bushes mature, KTDA is also training them to diversify and develop businesses that can support their households during the transition.
“We are asking farmers to focus on generating income for themselves different from what they earn through tea farming. Once they are into this, we come in as a foundation and other partners to help them develop this idea and implement it,” KTDA Foundation Head Sudi Matara said.
Nyeri County Agriculture CEC Muturi Wachihi said replacing the low-yielding bushes could double the county’s tea production, but cautioned that the process may take as long as two years.
