More than 4,500 farmers have resumed delivery of tea to Kipchabo Tea Factory in Nandi after two weeks of violence over prices.
The factory is owned by the Nyayo Tea Zones Corporation (NTZC). Farmers had last week burned down a lorry belonging to the firm and blocked its operations demanding better prices.
The firm had two weeks ago slashed green leaves price to Sh20.50 per kilogramme, citing falling international market prices that were worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. The move sparked angry protests by the farmers.
After lengthy two-day negotiations, the farmers, led by their out-growers chairman Benjamin Kutto Barobaru, forced the state corporation to raise the price by more than 30 per cent.
The farmers will now earn Sh24 per kilogramme of tea delivered to the factory, which is an increase from the Sh19 they earned earlier.
“We have agreed to that price as farmers, but it’s important that the management of Nyayo Tea Zones and the factory should always value the contribution of farmers and have regular dialogues over such issues,” said Barobaru.
He said farmers should not be forced to suffer due to low prices. Barobaru, Nyayo Tea Zones director Peter Korir and Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, spent three days negotiating with farmers to agree on the new prices. It took the intervention of Barobaru to cool down farmers and the negotiations to take place.
“I know you are angry but as your chairman, I urge you to give dialogue a chance so that we can move together as farmers and the factory team. At the end of the day we need each other to move forward,” Barobaru told the farmers.
The out-growers had turned angry after the factory management declined to hear their cries for a week. They had protested against the reduced prices that were to take effect from August 2020. They blocked all operations at the factory to press for higher prices.
They dug huge trenches and erected roadblocks to stop vehicles ferrying tea from proceeding to the factory. A lorry belonging to the corporation was set ablaze by youths who also destroyed a water intake and uprooted three kilometres of water pipes for the factory.
“Now that we have agreed with the new prices, we should allow operations to resume and we also work hard on our farms so that we all can improve our lives through the hard work,” Barobaru said.
Sang said the Nyayo Tea Zones was a major investor in the region and urged farmers and the management of the factory to always embrace dialogue.
The farmers had also demanded the removal of a senior firm’s official accused of frustrating them and disregarding the local community.
The Nyayo Tea Zones director thanked the out-growers and assured them that the corporation will harness and build a lasting relationship with the community.
Kipchabo Tea factory is wholly owned by the corporation, with plantations spread across Nandi, Kakamega, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans-Nzoia and Bungoma counties.
Gatitu Tea Factory in Kirinyaga County will be the second NTZC tea processing plant in Kenya and construction is in the final stages before it is commissioned. It will process tea for the corporation’s farms in the Mt Kenya region.