KTDA To Set Minimum Quality Standards Of Tea To Increase Competitiveness
Tea farmers affiliated to The Kenya
Tea Development Agency (KTDA)
have been urged to pick the best tea
leaves as it mulls the setting of minimum quality standards that must be attained by all.
The move, KTDA National chairman Enos Njeru says, will enhance KTDA’s competitiveness in the global market and ensure that Kenyan tea continues to be a product of choice.
To reduce the volume of bulk teas
stored in our warehouse, KTDA will
focus on diversifying its product
range.
“This will not only reduce overstocking of the black CTC tea but
also provide the market with a host
of diverse products to meet their different tastes and preferences,” said Njeru during the opening ceremony of a four-day induction of over 300 newly elected KTDA Directors from 24 counties in Mombasa.
Farmers were encouraged to pluck
the best quality tea, noting that the
high volume of unsold tea has been
exacerbated by poor quality, hawking of tea, use of machinery, handling of tea after harvesting and the
abolishment of Direct Overseas sales
(DSO) has affected the tea stocks.
KTDA has increased its monthly
payments to motivate farmers. It has
also embark on sensitisation of farmers on best tea handling practices between the farm and the factory.
“Farmers who concentrate on quality rather than quantity are enjoying
the results of the sales of their products,” said Njeru.
He dissuaded farmers from disunity, saying farmers from the East and
West of Rift Valley are all equal and
should work in a team.
“We want to speak in one voice, set
a minimum standard quality that will
be acceptable to KTDA so that we
treat all farmers equally and fairly,
and sell our tea that will generate
better revenue to our farmers. The
difference in margins between the
best and lowest farmers will not go
beyond KSh10,” stated Njeru.
The chairman further noted that favourable weather and the availability of rain have led to high production of tea.
The chairman said that plans are underway to establish a common user
facility in the Industrial Area, Nairobi. The facility will help ease value addition and reduce transportation costs.
On his part, Tea Board of Kenya
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Willy Mutai said 71 small-scale tea factories contribute 56 per cent of the national crop production.
Last year, he noted, the sector produced 266 million kilogrammes of
tea, this year’s target is 319 million kilogrammes. Farmers were assured that the unsold tea will be sold.
“As a government regulator we
would want to urge all people who
are supplying tea they should meet
the leave quality standard that is two leaves and a bud or a leaf which can attract a price,” said Mutai.
He revealed that they have opened
up Direct Overseas Sales (DSO) and
will work with KTDA to remove the
DSO from the Tea Act to be in the
regulation for farmers to be able to
do direct sales at their respective
factories.
The CEO said the government will
continue to put in place interventions to help the tea industry achieve its objective in line with the Bottom
up-Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“This year, the government has provided Sh1 Billion to support your
tea packing hub at KETEPA in modernising its equipment. It has also set aside Sh10 billion to support all farmers including tea farmers with subsidy fertilizer, said the CEO.
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