Tea farmers to receive Ksh.5.5 billion bonus

The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), has released a Ksh.5.5 billion bonus payment, for the half year ended December 2022, to smallholder farmers affiliated to its factories.

The awaited payout, which is from proceeds of sale of tea during the period under review. marks a major relief for farmers burdened by the high cost of living especially in the month of January.

It also marks one of the highest payments made in the last five years.

From the Ksh.5.5 billion, Ksh. 2.7 billion represents payment with respect to mini bonuses for the factories, whose directors passed resolutions to pay mini bonuses to their farmers.

The remaining Ksh.2.8 billion will go towards paying farmers for the December green leaf delivered to factories.

"We need to reduce the cost of living at the moment. It was necessary for the Board to consider making an interim payment to farmers to assist them in this first quarter and today KTDA has heeded that request," Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi said on Thursday.

Farmers will get between Ksh.5 and Ksh.10 five shillings mini bonuses for every kilo of green leaf delivered during the period.

KTDA correspondingly revealed that farmers will receive the payments directly into their accounts in the next few days, depending on respective banks’ processes and timelines.

"This declaration will go a long way in supporting the farmers. In 2022, the government gave a subsidy for fertilizer,  it is on the back of that that our tea production has increased," said Linturi.

Regarding the recent in-house wrangles witnessed at the tea agency, Linturi urged the KTDA board and former directors to stop the infighting which has been faulted for derailing implementation of tea reforms.

"We should concentrate on working for the good of our farmers…we are wasting so much time in court and I know some of these problems can be resolved," said the CS.