The Fair trade Africa (FTA) organization has added its voice in calling for the government to review the Tea Policy that abolished direct sale and trading of tea in the tea sector.
Former president Uhuru Kenyatta in December 2018, signed into law the Tea Bill of 2018 which provides that all tea processed and manufactured in Kenya for export, with exception of orthodox and specialty be offered for sale exclusively at the auction floor.
The law has rattled players in the sector especially tea producers who have stated that the new law has affected their sales with buyers shifting to other countries.
Addressing the media in Mombasa during inaugural East Africa Tea Trade Association and Fair trade Africa round table forum held at the English Point Marina,Casper Pedo, representative of East and Central Africa at Fair trade Africa said that they were looking for ways to engage the government to be more flexible for the producers who have already secured direct markets so that they do not have to go through the auction.
“It is actually very important because these are already determined markets and so taking the products through the auction may not necessarily be for the greater value of the producer”
Bernard Njoroge, Fair trade Africa’s senior programs officer supporting tea producers in Kenya said that the regulation had impacted negatively on the tea sector.
Njoroge said that the government should have first checked on the impacts and effects it would have before bringing a new regulation.
He said that the tea is losing its freshness and will not fetch good money in the market and will thus create poverty.
“About 70 per cent of buyers could not access the market last year, and for those who managed to, had to fight so much to receive waivers from the government,” he said.
He added that there are buyers who want to access their tea through direct market and as such need to be given the opportunity to do so.
He said that the moment buyers have direct market, it means the freshness of the tea is assured, but if not, then buyers have to wait for more than thirty days thus affecting quality of the tea.
Mwenje Njeru, a tea producer and chairman of Mungene tea factory in Embu County stressed the fact that the policy needs to be re-thinked.
He said that in 2020, about 25 per cent of the sales volume in his factory was through direct sales.
Njeru who also chairs the Kenya Tea Network which does advocacy and lobbying as far as tea is concerned, asked county governments to join the push in advocating for the return of direct sales.