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Kisii tea farmers to get Sh1.2 billion bonus pay

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Published on Wednesday, 12 October 2011 15:34

Tea farmers from Nyamache tea factory in Kisii will earn Sh1.2 billion in bonus payments. A tea director Shem Mogunde disclosed that growers will each earn Sh 31.50 per kilo of green tea delivered to the processing plant. the factory. The director at the same time challenged the farmers to tend their farms well and follow rules in pruning and picking tea leaves to increase its quality and quantity for more returns.

Mogunde lamented a section of growers  managed their farms poorly and  produced poor quality tea, leading to low prices and  poor payments. “Because of the poor quality of tea, we have decided that factory’s extension officers will be visiting farmers to sensitize them on the importance of producing quality tea,” he said.

Mogunde decried the falling Kenya shilling which has led to farmers losing Sh17.8 million in terms of exchange rates. He urged the government to act quickly to reverse the trend. He said the factory has cleared Sh154 million to contruct Nyamache-Itumbe Satellite factory at Kenyerere. He urged farmers to avoid selling fertilizer and instead apply it to tea bushes to increase their productivity and quality in order to fetch higher in the global market.