This archive report was first published on 5 May 2020.
May 5, 2020
Tea Farmers in Murang'a Oppose Ministry's Revamp Plans ¶
Tea farmers in Murang'a have expressed concerns over the Ministry of Agriculture's proposals to revamp the sector, citing unrealistic requirements and potential abuse of new regulations.
The proposals, announced by Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya last month, aim to eliminate cartels in the tea sector and increase farmers' earnings. However, the farmers argue that some of the proposals may adversely affect them more than the prevailing status.
Washington Mwangi, a tea farmer from Kanyanyaini factory, said that the Ministry did not involve farmers in the proposal-making process, which has resulted in unrealistic requirements. 'The factories don't have huge chunks of land, but they rely on us farmers who supply the bulk of green leaf,' Mwangi said.
Another farmer, Julia Wanjiru from Gatunguru Tea Factory, expressed concern over the lack of education on the new proposals. 'We just hear of the proposals from channels of media, can officials from the Ministry of Agriculture come on the ground and educate us about the new measures?' Wanjiru asked.
Patrick Mungai from Githambo Tea Factory also questioned the proposal requiring every tea factory to have its own company secretary. 'Currently KTDA has one company secretary, but saying every factory to have its own secretary will be quite expensive for farmers,' Mungai noted.
