KTDA begins distribution of 99,000 tonnes of fertiliser to tea farmers

Kenya Tea Development Agency distributes fertiliser to tea farmers. [Boniface Gikandi, Standard]

Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has started distributing fertiliser to tea factories, two days after the 99,000 metric tonnes of input were loaded into a cargo train in Mombasa.

By Thursday, the majority of the tea farmers had received the first batch of fertiliser, as KTDA worked around the clock to ensure timely and seamless delivery.

Some of the tea farmers in Rukuriri, Gathuthi, Njunu, Momul tea factories, among others, reported receiving fertiliser at the buying centres ready for application in their tea bushes.

KTDA Holding Chairman Enos Njeru said the first ship docked last week and two more are in the high seas, expected to arrive in Mombasa in a month.

Mr Njeru said timely fertiliser application, particularly at the onset of the rains, is essential for supporting healthy tea bushes, improving leaf quality and increasing green-leaf yields.

“The fertiliser application is key as it supports production of quality green leaf, thus producing the best teas for the market,” he said.

Farmers affiliated to Rukuriri and Njunu tea factories are among the first to have reported receiving the fertilisers.

At Njunu, the vice chairman Petterson Maina Gathua said the input has been received, and communication has been dispatched to the farmers to await at their respective buying centres.

“The trucks assigned for delivery have managed to arrive in the designated areas ready for offloading, as logistics are being worked on to ensure the farmers have access,” said Maina.

Two days ago, about 99,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser arrived at the port of Mombasa for smallholder tea farmers, with authorities promising faster distribution of the crucial farm input ahead of the rains.

Speaking when he flagged off the consignment in Mombasa, Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh said it would benefit about 800,000 tea farmers in the country.

“We are here today as a ministry with the tea sector team to witness the first consignment of fertilisers for small-scale tea farmers, which are close to 99,000 metric tonnes which have arrived early enough,” he said.