Farmers want KTDA system scrapped

Labourers pluck tea at Bobaracho, Nyaribari Chache in Kisii County. [File, Standard]

Tea farmers in the West of the Rift Valley are demanding the scrapping of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) factory classification system, saying it is biased and partly to blame for declining bonuses.

Led by Momul chairman Isaiah Langat and Tegat chairman Japhet Chepkwony, they told the National Assembly Committee on Agriculture that the grading framework unfairly places western factories in lower categories, disadvantaging them at the Mombasa Tea Auction.

Langat urged KTDA to abolish the system, reinstate the reserve price and restore Rainforest Alliance certification, arguing that recent policy shifts have weakened market competitiveness.

Chepkwony backed calls for a forensic audit of KTDA Holdings but stressed that individual factories should be treated separately.    

Other stakeholders urged tax relief on machinery and action on high electricity costs.