Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has presented a Ksh 65.2 million Government grant to Gathuthi Tea Factory to finance the installation of two automatic withering units and accelerate the modernization of the factory’s processing operations.
The investment unveiled Friday is expected to improve processing efficiency, enhance tea quality, reduce production losses, and strengthen the factory’s capacity to produce premium tea for both local and international markets, ultimately translating into better returns for tea farmers.
The CS said the Government remains committed to modernizing Kenya’s tea industry through strategic investments in technology, innovation, and value addition to ensure the sector remains globally competitive.
The CS also urged farmers to support the Tea Levy, clarifying that it is paid by tea buyers not farmers and that the proceeds will be reinvested in the tea sector to finance research, market expansion, climate resilience, innovation, and modernization programmes that directly benefit tea farmers.
He further challenged farmers to organize themselves into producer groups and strong cooperative societies to enhance their bargaining power and negotiate better prices for high-value crops such as avocado and macadamia.
The CS noted that collective marketing enables farmers to access larger markets, attract better buyers, reduce exploitation by middlemen, and secure higher returns from their produce.
