Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has readmitted an estimated one thousand smallholder tea farmers back into Rorok Tea Factory in Bomet County. The farmers had been taking their tea to multinational tea factory companies.
On their end, the farmers claimed they were motivated by KTDA’s better returns compared to the multinationals. Rorok Tea Factory Manager, Mr. Gregory Marete says that KTDA offers small-scale tea farmers better returns due to competitive prices and services.
In addition, the farmers enjoy low-cost fertilizer and extension services such as visiting farmers and guiding them on how to plant or pluck tea. Mr. Marete adds that despite the coronavirus affecting the tea sector KTDA tops in prompt payment to small scale tea farmers.
In June KTDA suspended the importation of fertilizer for smallholder tea farmers for the year 2020 citing disruptions in the importation chain that has been occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
KTDA is owned by about 600,000 smallholder tea farmers spread across 16 tea growing counties in Kenya. The farmers are shareholders to 54 tea companies that own KTDA Holdings and its 8 subsidiary companies.
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