The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has issued a warning to tea farmers of an emerging scam where fraudulent individuals call them, claiming they can increase the weight of their green leaf tea.
In the notice dated April 15, the agency urged the farmers to stay on the lookout for such calls and report the fraudsters to the necessary authorities.
"We have noted with concern that there are fraudsters calling tea farmers purporting to increase their green leaf weight/kilos," the notice read.
"Be on the lookout, and do not fall prey to the scam. Report such fraudsters to your factory and authorities."
This comes just a few weeks after Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe banned the hawking of green leaf tea, a practice that involves independent tea processors and farmers buying green leaf tea directly from farmers, bypassing the established tea factory system.
The CS emphasised that this was against the Tea Act, which dictates that registered farmers deliver their tea leaves to their assigned factories. Failure to do this would lead to a disruption of the supply chain, thus affecting the quality of tea in the market.
“Effective this week, or effective today, the hawking of tea across the country, Mr Speaker, will be stopped so that farmers can deliver their tea directly and to ensure that quality standards are met,” Kagwe stated while appearing before the Senate on March 12.
“It is our intention to curb tea hawking malpractices, which lead to the processing of low-quality tea leaves. This will be achieved by enforcing the Tea Registration and Licences Regulations, 2025,” he added.
Tea hawking prioritises quantity over quality, resulting in farmers receiving lower prices for their tea as overall tea auction prices decline.
In a subsequent notice on April 8, CS Kagwe threatened to revoke the licences of factories found still perpetrating this crime.
"That factory is found to be perpetuating the hawking of Greenleaf to be delicensed in accordance with the Tea Act, 2020," the CS stated.
According to the Tea Act, a farmer caught selling tea to a factory where they are not registered is liable for a penalty of a Ksh100,000 fine or six months in prison.
