Government exempts farmers from paying levies, cess

NAIVASHA, KENYA: Tea farmers in the country will now be exempted from paying levies and cess from July 1st as part of reducing cost of production.
The move is also meant to increase the country's annual production as demand for the product globally rises.
The move to wave the taxes is part of the recommendations made by the taskforce on tea which has already handed its report to the ministry of agriculture.
According to the PS in the ministry Dr Richard Lesiyampe, the government was committed to supporting the sector which was one of the leading foreign exchange earners.
He said that part of the taskforce recommendations involved addressing the issue of various taxes and levies leveled against farmers.
"From the 1st of July various cess and levies leveled against tea farmers will be waved as we seek to address the cost of production and increase acreage under tea farming," he said.
Lesiyampe noted that tea was the leading export earner for the country adding that in 2015 the country earned Sh125 billion.
"Kenya is the third leading producer of tea accounting for eleven percent of the global production and the sector employs five million people," he said.
The PS was speaking to the press after opening the First African Tea Science Symposium in Enashipai Spa in Naivasha.