Tea sector leaders in Embu have called for government support as they seek to undertake value addition to boost farmers’ income.
Led by KTDA Zone Six (Embu) Board Member Enos Njeru, the leaders said the journey to diversification into value-added teas such as orthodox and flavoured teas for local and international markets was an expensive undertaking for factories to handle alone.
Speaking during the launch of tea bags and spiced teas by Rukuriri and Mungania Factories, respectively, on Friday during the ongoing Pre-Madaraka Day Trade Fair at Embu University grounds, Njeru called on the government to give financial aid to help reduce the large capital outlays required to actualize their desire.
The event was graced by President William Ruto, who was commissioning several projects, including a multi-storey market and affordable housing within Embu Town.
Njeru, for instance, said that, for lack of a tea bag packaging machine, Rukuriri was being forced to incur an extra cost in ferrying their tea to Ketepa in Kericho for that purpose.
“We are calling on the government to help us put up a tea bag production line that costs around Sh100 million that will also serve other factories in Mt. Kenya Region,” he said.
He noted that the County Government had allocated them a centralized space to assist them in their venture into value addition, but what was lacking was funds for implementation in their resolve to ensure farmers get fair pay for their labor.
He noted that the future of the tea industry was not in conventional black CTC tea but in orthodox and other value-added teas that were in high demand and fetching better prices in local and global markets.
Njeru said they had also started looking into ways of installing orthodox tea lines and was optimistic that early next year, the lines will be up and running in the three factories of Rukuriri, Mungania, and Kathangariri in Embu.
Mungania Factory Chairman, Mwenje Njeru, said they had ventured into flavored tea to move with the times as the market for the teas was growing as health-conscious consumers preferred them due to their high levels of antioxidants.
He said currently they are producing ginger and masala, and plans are underway to add more flavors.
President Ruto, in his remarks at the Expo, noted that the government, in the proposed finance bill, had removed taxes on tea, including packaging materials, with the aim of boosting earnings for farmers.
By Samuel Waititu
