Nandi hills: The government is committed to boosting the tea sector, aimed at ensuring better returns for farmers both at the local and international markets. Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr. Paul Rono has assured tea farmers that the government is putting the necessary measures in place to ensure increased value addition and efficiency in all tea factories, noting that this will go a long way in enhancing better prices at the international market.
According to Kenya News Agency, Dr. Rono, speaking at Samoei Boys Secondary School in Nandi Hills, Nandi East Sub County during the prayer day for their 2025 KCSE candidates, revealed that plans were underway to amend the Tea Act 2020 to allow for direct sales in the international market. This move is aimed at liberalizing the tea industry and protecting tea growers' proceeds by ensuring direct sales, while ensuring competitive price and adherence to regulations such as maintaining the Kenyan brand at the international market.
'As a government we are committed to ensuring farmers benefit from their tea proceeds. The government will inject Sh3.7 billion to all the local 19 factories to improve on value addition and their efficiency,' Dr. Rono stated. He further explained that the amendment of the Tea Bill will allow for direct sales from factory to the buyer, adding that direct sales to international buyers will cut off intermediaries, hence boosting farmers' profit as well as promoting transparency in the market.
Dr. Rono also noted that the government has removed all the packaging taxes that were hindering value addition, thus ensuring that any increase of the product value is done locally to avoid losing the Kenyan brand to other countries. 'Going forward we will have to package our Kenyan tea and name it by our factory brands. This will attract more investors and make the sweet Kenyan tea price go up,' he mentioned, urging members of the national assembly to expedite the amendment of the Tea Bill to boost the sector for more benefits to the farmers.
In addition, Dr. Rono encouraged farmers who have not yet registered for the government-subsidized fertilizers to promptly do so at their respective chiefs' offices. He emphasized that the subsidized fertilizer is now easily accessible in all the National Cereals and Produce Board depots across the country. 'The National Government Administrative officers (NGAO) are helping in registering farmers for the subsidized fertilizers. Ensure you visit their offices if you have not yet listed your land to benefit. This will help you save on the farm input, while ensuring high output,' he added.