Tea farmers told to prepare for reduced bonuses this year

By MURIMI MWANGI

Tea farmers have been asked to brace themselves for reduced bonuses this financial year ending June 2014.

The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Chairman Peter Kanyago said tea prices dropped drastically between June and December last year and so would be bonuses to be paid to farmers.

“The prices are slowly stabilising but this may not cater for the drop the sector experienced last year,” Kanyago warned. The misfortune was occasioned by the favourable weather experienced last year, which boosted tea production and supply, and ultimately dragged the prices down by nearly 30 per cent. About 250 million kilogrammes of tea have already been supplied to the market this year up from the 201 million kilogrammes delivered the previous year.

Speaking at Gathuthi Tea Factory’s  Annual General Meeting in Nyeri, the chairman said political upheavals in Arabic countries worsened Kenyan tea’s fortunes. “Countries like Egypt and Pakistan have consistently been big traditional markets but our fortunes there have been dimmed by the country’s instability,” he said.

Gathuthi Tea Factory Chairman Geoffrey Kagondu said the State has not adequately supported tea farmers.