This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
Published on September 19, 2019, tea farmers in Mt Kenya region are facing a 10-year low in annual bonus payments. The Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) has approved new rates, with most factory boards in the region paying an average of 30 per cent lower than last year.
According to KTDA Meru Regional Director Paul Ringera, payments in the region range from Sh26.05 for Michimikuru Factory in Tigania East to Sh35.10 for Githongo Factory in Central Imenti. Last year, Michimikuru farmers were the lowest earners at Sh39, while Imenti Factory paid the highest rate at Sh48.
Other Meru factories have approved rates as follows: Githongo (Sh35.10), Imenti (Sh36), Kinoro (Sh31.15), Weru (Sh31.05), Kionyo (Sh33), and Keigoi (Sh28). Factories in the western Kenya tea-growing belt, including Kisii, will pay farmers the lowest amounts, with some taking home as little as Sh10 for a kilo of green leaf.
KTDA chairman Peter Kanyago said this year's payout would be on average 30 per cent lower. Moses Mwangi, a farmer affiliated to Gathuthi tea factory in Nyeri, expressed dismay, saying, 'It is shocking. We have put in so much work, and going by the trends over the past years we expected that we would earn better this year. We want KTDA to reconsider these payments, otherwise we will incur losses.'
The industry has been hit hard by turbulence in the main export markets of Pakistan, Sudan, and the United Kingdom. Paul Ringera attributed the decline in prices to a very slight improvement in the prices for their produce. 'The prices are absolutely not favourable to farmers. I have embarked on a fact-finding mission to know the reasons that have influenced this. We must engage in consultations with key stakeholders on the way forward,' said Kathuri Murungi, who represents farmers in South Imenti.
