- On tea tasting, Ronoh said this will be conducted using scientific methods to ensure accuracy and consistency.
- Tea tasting will be conducted using scientific methods to ensure accuracy and consistency.
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The government has unveiled a series of transformative reforms in the tea sector in a bid to enhance transparency, quality, and fair trade practices.
Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh announced this highlighting that they have already removed the reserve price in a bid to allow free trade.
The minimum reserve price introduced back in 2021 was aimed at cutting losses occasioned by the low cost of the commodity in the market.
Former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya introduced the reserve price for KTDA farmers and set it at Sh183.
He had cited the low value of the beverage amid the high cost of production.
This, however, led to traders keeping away from KTDA teas instead opting to buy from the other firms seen as cheaper.
As a result, 100 million kgs of tea remained unsold at the auction.
Under the new reforms, Ronoh stated that all KTDA factories will be required to implement service-level agreements to ensure farmers receive high-quality services.
“Factories will now have the freedom to conduct direct sales, which is expected to boost profitability and market access,” he said.
To further support the sector, the Tea Board of Kenya, he noted, has been tasked with auditing all KTDA-managed factories to identify challenges and provide targeted government assistance.
Speaking during an inspection tour of tea factories in the South Rift, Ronoh also stated that the government will undertake costing for critical KTDA equipment.
“We want to help the directors to make informed decisions and prevent farmer exploitation,” he said.
In response to issues of theft, the PS revealed that all factory tea weighing machines will be calibrated regularly.
Additionally, both KTDA and private tea factories are mandated to meet established quality standards, and private factories must comply with registration requirements, he said.
On tea tasting, Ronoh said this will be conducted using scientific methods to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Tasting is the process of determining the quality of tea or ascertaining its quality before selling or blending.
It is done by sipping tea, rolling it in the mouth and spitting it out after each sip is done to more than 20 varieties of tea products so that only the best go to the market.
Experts say good quality tea has a strong mouthfeel with fine-tasting notes while low quality is more bitter and sour with unpleasant undertones.