Rampant hawking of green leaf in tea-growing zones of Murang’a county has pushed some KTDA-allied factories to operate below their capacity.
The management of Gatunguru tea factory in Mathioya subcounty says farmers are selling their green leaf to private manufacturers.
During the factory’s AGM on Friday, it emerged that the quantity of green leaf delivered for processing dropped by 7.03 per cent compared to previous financial year.
The factory chairman Samson Kaguma said during the financial year ending June 30, farmers allied to them delivered 18.1 million kilos of green leaf, down from 19. 4 kilos in the previous financial year.
“During the year under review, hawking of green leaf was rampant,” he said.
“Some farmers opted for instant money by selling their produce to private factories. This is against the agreement the farmers have made with the factory.”
He also attributed the reduction of production to harsh climatic conditions, saying dry weather persisted for long.
“This year, we expect production to go up due to conducive climatic conditions,” the chairman said.
“The region is currently experiencing heavy rains and this will lead to more production.”
Kaguma said the factory has installed an automated tea withering machine to reduce the cost of production.
“Cost of production during the 2022-23 financial year shot up due to a faulty withering machine,” he said.
“But with the installation of an automated machine, production costs will go down, thus boosting farmers’ earnings.”
The chairman called on farmers to adhere to the guidelines in the agreement and ensure they deliver their produce to the factory.
The management is working to instal an orthodox tea processing line by the end of the current financial year, he said.
“The income from orthodox is quite high as compared to CTC tea, which we currently produce,” Kaguma said.
Some factories have started production of orthodox tea, which has helped farmers get more dividends.
Zone 3 board member Chege Kirundi called for legal action to stop the hawking of green leaf.
He urged the newly reinstated Tea Board of Kenya to strictly regulate the production and marketing of tea, saying private companies perpetuating the hawking of green leaf should be denied operating licences.
“Before a company establishes a tea processing factory, it should reveal the farmers who will be supplying green leaf to the facility,” he said.
“It is criminal for farmers allied to a particular KTDA factory to hawk green leaf to private manufacturers.”
Meanwhile, the board member said excess power produced at Mitumi hydroelectric power station, which is owned by four factories in zone 3, will be distributed to other factories in the southern part of Murang’a county.
“Production of our own power has helped factories in zone 3 cut cost of production,” Kirundi said.
“And since there is excess power from the station, we have agreed to sell power to six factories in southern parts of Murang’a.”