Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe speaks during a visit to Kapsara Tea Factory./ HANDOUTAgriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has directed tea factories to reject green leaf that does not meet the recommended “two leaves and a bud” standard as the government rolls out a Sh7.1 billion programme to modernise tea processing facilities.
Kagwe said upgrading factory machinery must go hand in hand with improving the quality of tea delivered by farmers, warning that modern equipment cannot compensate for poor-quality raw material.
“If we have agreed that quality tea is two leaves and a bud, then that is what must come to the factory. We cannot have farmers who are doing the right thing being punished because a few others bring poor-quality leaf which is then processed together with theirs,” Kagwe said.
He spoke during a visit to Kapsara Tea Factory, where he handed over Sh44.6 million for the installation of a new withering plant.
Kagwe said mixing poor-quality green leaf with quality leaf reduces the value of the final tea and ultimately affects farmers' earnings.
He said the government wants to establish a quality culture across the tea sector while increasing the production of higher-value orthodox, speciality and value-added teas.
The CS said the modernisation programme will replace ageing machinery, improve energy efficiency, reduce processing costs and strengthen the ability of factories to produce higher-value products.
At Kapsara, the Sh44.6 million allocation will finance a new withering plant to replace ageing equipment that consumes large amounts of electricity.
Kagwe cited Momul Tea Factory as an example of the potential financial gains from improving green-leaf quality, saying the value of its tea increased from about US$2 to more than US$3 per kilogram after quality improvements.
He said the focus on quality should ultimately be measured by the amount of money reaching farmers through better tea prices and annual bonuses.
Kagwe also called for greater diversification of Kenya's tea markets, saying the country should strengthen traditional markets while seeking new buyers as factories increase production of orthodox, speciality and value-added teas.
He further defended the tea levy, saying it is paid by buyers rather than farmers or factories.
According to Kagwe, funds raised through the levy will support price stabilisation, tea research, infrastructure, marketing, quality improvement, value addition and the development of new markets.
The CS challenged politicians opposing the levy to stop politicising the tea sector, saying the funds are intended to strengthen the industry and improve the global identity of Kenyan tea.
Kagwe also directed Kapsara Tea Factory management to ensure the Sh44.6 million allocation is used strictly for its intended purpose.
He said farmer training and extension services would continue as part of efforts to improve the quality of green leaf supplied to factories.
Senator Allan Chesang praised Kagwe's efforts to transform agriculture and increase farmer incomes, noting that the government had also improved road infrastructure in tea-growing areas to ease the movement of green leaf from farms to factories.
