Othaya tea farmers have been urged to tend their crops as the government look into the problems bedevilling the sector.
Area MP Gichuki Mugambi yesterday sought to assure residents that all will be well and pleaded with them not to uproot their tea shrubs.
Some farmers had opted to plant other crops because of low returns. They complained that tea pickers make more money than they do. Of the Sh15 they earn per month per kilo, pickers take home Sh12. Farmers get only Sh3, despite having provided inputs and catered for other needs.
Mugambi said Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri and his Trade counterpart Peter Munya have convened a meeting with officials from the Kenya Tea Development Agency so they direct their efforts towards relieving the farmers' plight.
He said though prices were low this year, farmers should not lose hope but continue tending to their tea plants as the situation will improve.
"Do not uproot your tea bushes or leave them to overgrow. Please, continue tending to your bushes as your issues are looked into."
The legislator said Othaya soils are depleted and no other crop can perform better than tea. He spoke during a public participation forum, where residents identified projects that will be undertaken under the NG-CDF programme in the next two years.
Mugambi cited sloppy terrain as another hurdle that makes it difficult to grow other crops. Mugambi said some areas are prone to soil erosion and only tea shrubs can prevent it. Otherwise, any other crop will worsen the situation, he added.
On Sunday, another group of farmers from the county visited Nyeri Senator Ephraim Maina at his Lusoi home in Kieni. They expressed their frustrations over poor prices this year. They threatened to uproot their plants if the government does not intervene.
Maina called on the government to send investigators at KTDA and tea factories and arrest those behind farmers’ woes. But KTDA chairman Peter Kanyago said the tea payment this year has reduced by about 30 per cent making the payment lowest in a period of five years.
Mugambi appealed to county leaders to diversify the local economy to prevent overreliance on tea. He called on farmers to be actively involved in harvesting their tea to improve their yields, instead of relying heavily on casual labourers.
"Some people have the tendency of going to idle at the shopping centres, leaving behind casual labourers to tend and harvest their tea. This just reduces their earnings as most of the money will be pocketed by the labourers."
(Edited by F'Orieny)
