Tea farmers in Embu will be smiling all the way to the bank early July following announcement of the highest annual bonus in over five years.
Management boards of the three tea factories in the county; Mungania, Kathangariri and Rukuriri two days ago declared a pay out of Sh. 40, Sh.39.50 and Sh. 41.50 per kilo respectively.
The money expected to be wired to individual farmers accounts by July 10 represent an increment of 40 percent from what they received last year.
Cumulatively, each farmer will take home not less than Sh. 60 as the bonus will be paid alongside the monthly pay of green leaf delivered this month that is paid at an average rate of Sh. 21 per kilo.
KTDA Board Member representing the tea zone Enos Njeru attributed the improvement to the reforms instituted by the government to streamline the multi billion shilling industry.
He said the reforms that among other measures weeded out middlemen in the crop value chain has served to restore the lost glory of the sector.
To further cushion farmers from exploitation, the reforms has enhanced governance in the sector, set up minimum reserve price and reducing operations costs.
He urged farmers to use the money prudently to improve the welfare of their families especially now that many people were still reeling from the effects of Covid-19 pandemic with the situation getting further aggravated by the biting inflation.
The factory managers called on farmers to double their efforts to increase production quantity and quality wise to boost their income.
” We are hoping for better times ahead if what our farmers received this year is anytime to go by,” Mungania Tea Factory Chairman Mwenje Njeru said.
On fertilizer, the KTDA Board Member said farmers will receive the commodity late as a result of disruptions in procurement occasioned by the war in Ukraine and Russia that are the main sources.
He said they were projecting to receive the commodity in early October that will retail at Sh. 5,700 for a 50 kilo bag.
” Farmers will be paying Sh. 3,000 per bag which will be deducted from the bonus payout and we are hoping that the government will take care of the deficit,” he said.