We are focusing on leaf quality, says KTDA boss

KTDA chairman Enos Njeru. [File, Standard]

The directorship election dust in the tea sector has settled with leadership focused on addressing the effects of unsold teas piled up in the warehouses.

Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) chairman Enos Njeru said the effects of the unsold produce, estimated at millions of shillings, are enormous and thus should be tackled without further delay through improved quality of green leaf.

In the Mombasa auction market, millions of unsold teas are lying in the warehouses, raising concerns in the industry.

In an exclusive interview with The Standard, Njeru said he would be defending the KTDA chairmanship seat with expectations to address the growers' interests based on impressive bonus payment.

The farmers received increased monthly payments from Sh16 to Sh25 per kilogramme of green leaf, and collection at the buying centres streamlined and embarked on specialty teas to attract the local and international markets.

More importantly, the agency will focus on improving the quality of green leaves west of the Rift Valley to reduce the unsold tea in the market.

"In the first term, I appreciate the cooperation demonstrated by the directors from the 54 factories, as we implemented the tea reforms as we steered entering into a bidding contract between the factories and KTDA," he said after he was confirmed on Monday as a director at Rukuriri tea factory in Embu.

Through the support of the national government, the second phase will be geared to unlock new markets by implementing robust marketing strategies, targeting to sell massive tea volumes.

"We can achieve this through increased value-addition efforts by eight per cent annually and spearhead diversification efforts to at least increase the production of specialty teas by 50 per cent in the next five years," said Njeru.

Increase sales

The 324 tea directors, he said, are putting in place strategies to increase sales and the prices of tea to ensure growers get their dues at the right time.

"There are high volumes of unsold tea at the auction, unabsorbed by the market due to quality issues. I am keen to support tea quality improvement policies, especially in the West of Rift, to help reduce the volume and increase sales and attract better prices," he said Njeru.

He challenged Kenyans to support the sector through high consumption of local teas. Through the support of the leaders, the KTDA chairman outlined the need to champion the tea consumption culture in the counties.

He added that they will also innovate new tea products that resonate better with the younger generation.

"In my next phase of leadership, I want to not only have Kenya as a leading producer of tea but also a leading consumer of our product,' said Njeru.