Gitugi Tea Factory company Limited has invested Sh.115 million to start a line of processing orthodox tea to improve farmers’ earnings.
Speaking on Wednesday at Gitugi Tea Factory in Othaya constituency, Nyeri County during a farmers’ Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Chairman, Peter Muchiri Mwangi said the factory would be among the eleven factories that produce Orthodox plants in the country, adding that a market has already been identified.
Mwangi said they therefore expected the farmers to benefit more when they have the two lines of tea production.
He also added that this year Gitugi Factory was the highest paid factory with a bonus of Sh.36.50 per kg compared to other tea factories in the region and attributed this to good quality of tea leaves that was delivered by farmers this year.
Speaking during the same occasion, the KTDA National Chairman, Peter Kanyago encouraged other factories in country to adopt production of orthodox tea that has a lower cost of production and fetched better prices in the global market.
Kanyago added that Chinga Factory in Othaya was in the process of starting orthodox tea lines that would complement the returns for black tea farmers.
By Beth Ndirangu
