Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called a meeting of Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) directors for Wednesday.
According to Gachagua, the meeting will discuss ways to implement reforms in the tea subsector, among other things.
“The reforms I have been pushing with governors, Members of Parliament and other stakeholders are bearing fruit. Our farmers have earned high bonuses, which they have not received for many years. I will meet with the directors from across the country to agree on the way forward in firming up and sustaining the reforms,” he said.
During the day, the second and final bonus payout rates will be announced.
Directors from the 54 KTDA-managed tea factories across the county have been meeting to review and approve the audited financial accounts for the fiscal year ending June 2023.
Farmers can earn up to Sh55 per kilo, with the lowest performers earning Sh30 per kilo of total green leaves delivered until June of this year.
This is an increase over the previous earnings.
Gachagua has expressed satisfaction that the reforms he has championed alongside MPs, Governors, and other stakeholders have borne fruit.
He stated that the ongoing reforms that began following the July Tea Conference in Kericho County will not be stopped until the farmers earn what they deserve.
Following the Kericho Conference, the DP has been engaging various stakeholders in the tea subsector to reach consensus on institutionalising the reforms through legal, policy, and regulatory measures.
The Deputy President also stated that the Ruto Administration is committed to delivering reforms in tea, coffee, dairy and other agricultural subsectors.
This, he claims, will result in farmers receiving what they are due through interventions such as the removal of cartels and brokers from value chains.
“The cartels are too entrenched. They buy coffee at throw away prices and sell in foreign countries exorbitantly; they don’t tell us how much. The changes are on course. Amendment of the law will be tabled in Parliament soon. It proposes, among others, if you are a coffee miller, you cannot be a marketer or a seller. It is one man, one job,” said the Deputy President.
