Tea farmers harvest and sell it for the best price of ksh 16 a kilo.But consumers buy half a kilo of tea leaves at ksh 500 with a kilo going for ksh 1000. At the moment, the farmers endure rainfall while harvesting while experiencing the cold and also not forgetting the heavy basket carried on the back. The price of ksh 16 is an insult to the farmers.
BaiteTv caught up with one of the farmers who told us that KTDA directors had colonized them for too long. She requested the management to allow farmers to make decisions on their produce and urged the KTDA officials to attend the upcoming elections scheduled for April 21st and be prepared to be ousted.
The farmer complained about enduring the cold weather climate at the tea plantation while earning peanuts. She said all this while she can’t afford self-sponsored program school fees for her children because the government absorbs a few into the public institutions.
Another farmer said he has used loans to educate all his school going children which haven’t been repaid until today.He believed there were public funds allocated by the national government to the tea farmers which could be an alternative to the loans. He blamed the current KTDA management for squandering funds and hopes for an overhaul of the management.
Kaburu Mbogori, speaking at his tea plantation accompanied by members of the buying centers at Uruku, informed BaiteTv that that there are many loopholes for money meant for the tea famers.
He gave the example of Greenfeather and Dubai. He wondered why their produce was being transported to Dubai yet Mombasa was nearer. He informed us that Rwanda transports their tea produce to Mombasa at ksh 900 buying price while their Uruku-Imenti produce is bought at ksh 250 with the gate price at ksh 500.
According to Mbogori, farmers wonder why their produce can not fetch even ksh 100. He urged farmers to turn up in large numbers to elect new officials and left a message to the current directors that their mischievous thievery loophole had been identified. He also pleaded with them to drop their court case for fear of losing their seats.
Laborers told BaiteTv that when farmers’ tea produce fetches ksh 16, they are paid ksh 10 per kilo.The farmers, however, are opposing an increment to the laborers’ wages when the proposed price will fetch ksh 21.
