Tea growing areas in Meru County are set to receive a boost after the launch of a tea cess committee.
Speaking at Heritage Hotel, Imenti South Sub County, the Meru Governor, Kiraitu Murungi pointed out that the committee will comprise eight board members.
The governor said that the establishment of Cess committee will foresee each tea factory contribute Sh.4 million
annually that will be used to improve access roads connecting to the factories and tea buying centers.
He noted that many tea growing zones are made inaccessible due to poor roads especially during the rainy seasons.
“Tea farmers have been incurring huge losses occasioned by poor road networks during heavy down pours,the
trucks that pick tea leaves from buying centers often get stuck in mud,” he said, adding that by each factory
contributing some funds will see to it that the roads are maintained.
The event was graced by members of county assemblies from the tea growing areas, the Regional Manager Robert Kirera,
The Board Director, Dr. Murithi Ringera and the managers of the tea factories.
He said the cess will cater for the construction of the roads along the tea growing zones in the county so as to
facilitate ease of delivery of the tea to the factories.
Meru County has six factories which include, Igembe, Michiimikuru, Imenti, Githongo, Kionyo and Kinoro which are managed by Kenya Tea Development Association (KTDA).
The committee will be oversighted by the County Assembly under the caucus committee held by the Chairperson Dennis Kiogora.
Timothy Gitonga, a tea farmer from Kithirune lauded the move adding that roads connecting tea growing zones have for a long time been neglected.
He said that establishment of the committee will ensure that farmers deliver their produce faster hence save time and get better returns.
By Elvis Mugambi/Muguongo Judy
