Tea farmers to receive Sh57 billion in bonus

A tea farmer taking his tea leaves to Gaikuyu Tea Buying Centre in Mathira, Nyeri County. [File, Standard]

Tea farmers countrywide will this year get Sh57.4 billion as their annual bonus.

Growers in Kericho and Bomet counties are the highest beneficiaries of the payout from Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA). They will get Sh12.2 billion.

Farmers in Kiambu and Murang’a South region will get a share of Sh11.7 billion bonus.

A director conversant with bonus payment revealed that the payment will be factored in next month’s payments.

Details seen by The Standard indicate that growers in Murang’a North and Nyeri County will get Sh8 billion while their colleagues in Kirinyaga and Embu counties have been allocated Sh8.2 billion.

Farmers in Tharaka Nithi and Meru counties will receive Sh8.7 billion while those in Kisii and Nyamira region will pocket Sh6.9 billion.

Nandi, Trans Nzoia and Kakamega farmers will receive a total of Sh1.7 billion.

In the payout, farmers affiliated to Cebut, Mudete and Kapsara tea factories in western region will get Sh28, Sh28.50 and Sh20 respectively per kilo of green leaf they delivered for processing.

Growers affiliated to Mununga Tea Factory in Kirinyaga County will receive bonus payment at the rate of Sh61 per kilo, the highest countrywide.

In last year’s payment, Mununga farmers got Sh48.35 per kilogramme of the delivered green leaf.

Big share

KTDA Zone Two Regional Manager Erastus Gakuya, who represents six factories located in Gatanga, Kandara and Kigumo, said the bonus payment indicates the future is bright for tea farmers.

“Factories where farmers delivered more green leaf will get a big share. There is need to encourage farmers to undertake tea farming seriously as this year’s bonus is a testimony of better payment in future,” said Gakuya.

Kiru Tea Factory chairman Chege Kirundi said after the agreement between the board and KTDA on the payment, farmers are adequately informed.

“My farmers in Mathioya Constituency are already aware of the payment. This year payment has been calculated at Sh51 up from Sh38.50 of last season,” he said.

In Nandi County, farmers will earn Sh644 million in bonuses in the second payment for the 2016-2017 season.

The farmers delivered a total of 23 million kilogrammes of green leaf to the two KTDA factories–Chebut in Kapsabet and Kaptumo in Aldai and will get Sh28 for each kilogramme.

John Tega, a KTDA director North Division in Nandi County and also Chairman of the factories, said farmers will receive their earnings from end of October.

“The second payment rate is an improvement by Sh2 compared to last year when farmers earned Sh26 a kilo. This is because of better demand and market prices,” said Mr Tega.

Nandi County is the third leading producer of the cash crop after Bomet and Kericho.

Small-scale tea farmers in Bomet County, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the bonus prices.

Some farmers said despite the prices released being higher than last year’s they were still below their expectations.

“What farmers from Mt Kenya are getting is double what we are getting per kilo and it is very unfair. KTDA has never explained these disparities,” said Stephen Koskei, a farmer from Singorwet in Bomet Central.

[Report by Boniface Gikandi, Gilbert Kimutai and Titus Too]