Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Peter Munya says he is carrying out reforms in various sectors to ensure the farmers realize good returns on their investment.
The CS said he is focusing on raising prices of products including milk, sugarcane, coffee and tea so that farmers make profit in their endeavors.
He said the tea reforms for instance, are outlined in the Tea Act 2020 that provides for among other things the establishment of Tea Board of Kenya (TBK), Tea Research Foundation (TRF), the regulatory framework for the sector as well as appointment of tea inspectors.
Munya lamented that the global tea prices have been going down since last year which prompted him to set a reserve price of 1.88 dollars per tonne in July this year.
He was addressing tea farmers at Mudete tea factory in Sabatia Sub County on Saturday.
The former Meru governor added that apart from tea, his ministry has set minimum prices for sugar cane at Sh4, 000 per tonne while milk is to be supplied to processors at Sh37 per litre.
He stated that the interventions were aimed at protecting farmers from unscrupulous middlemen who have in the past been offering them low prices.
“We are mainly an agricultural economy and hence the need to carry out reforms that can make the sector vibrant and viable,” he asserted.
By Sammy Mwibanda
