Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi on Thursday, January 12, announced the payment of a Ksh5.5 billion bonus to tea farmers in Kenya.
Linturi stated that the decision was informed by the dire financial situation in the country and the bonus was meant to cushion the farmers.
The payment released by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) was meant to boost the farmers for the half-year that ended on December 31, 2022.
From the Ksh5.5 billion, Ksh2.7 billion was meant to go towards a mini bonus payment to the factories while Ksh2.8 billion was a payment for the green leaf delivered in December.
“It was necessary for us to consider making an interim payment to our farmers to be able to assist in the management of their financial affairs,” Linturi stated.
The bonus was one of the highest payments made to farmers in the past five years.
Linturi further indicated that as a way to attract new markets and fetch more money, the government had put plans in place to make reforms including accelerating the value addition of tea.
“It is the realisation of the government that once value addition is done to our tea, then we will be able to fetch more money and continue to grow globally.,” the CS indicated.
With the bonus, the farmers would be able to get between five and ten shillings as a mini bonus per kilo of green leaf delivered during the first quarter of 2023.
Regarding the recent internal wrangling at KTDA, Linturi directed the board and former directors to put an end to the feuds, holding them responsible for the reforms' delays.
“We waste so much time and use a lot of money in court when some of these problems can be resolved by talking to one another,” the CS added.
In a notice on Wednesday, January 11, Linturi called on farmers to apply for job opportunities at the Food Authority (AFA).
“All applications should only be submitted online via the email recruit(at)kdb(dot)co(dot)ke, on or before midnight of 25th January 2023,” the notice read in part.
