Rise of the machines inevitable

The article by the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union General Secretary Francis Atwoli (Machines Will Aggravate Joblessness in The Standard of October 22) was off the mark.

First, Atwoli says the quality of machine plucked leaves is inferior to hand plucked tea leaves. Since the inception of machine plucking a few years ago, research and good crop husbandry have improved the quality of machine-harvested tea.