Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met with Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) directors and stakeholders at his official residence in Karen today, Wednesday 27.
The meeting’s main purpose is to discuss ways to improve this year’s tea farmer bonuses.
The DP expressed his satisfaction with the positive developments in the tea sector in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
He attributed the progress to direct engagement with farmers and stakeholders, with the goal of reviewing and approving the audited financial accounts for the fiscal year ending June 2023.
This meeting was called in response to tea farmers’ concerns about the revocation of licenses for companies that were buying their crops at unfairly low prices.
Several tea factories operating under the KTDA umbrella have already announced increased farmer bonuses.
These per-kilo bonuses are expected to rise, with farmers earning between Ksh.45 and Ksh.50 per kilogram.
This increase in earnings can be attributed in part to the shilling’s depreciation against the US dollar, which has benefited the industry.
Gachagua expressed the government’s willingness to engage in dialogue with stakeholders in the coffee and tea industries earlier this week.
