The two newly elected tea directors have vowed to revive the tea sector to match with other good performing factories in central Kenya.
Addressing farmers outside the Sang’anyi Tea Factory, the two pledged to work an extra mile to ensure that the farmers realise the benefits of the crop which most of the residents depend in for their livelihoods.
They pledged to prioritise better services to farmers.
Joseph Arama, from Nyamusi electoral area said he will spearhead the construction of a new satellite factory in Nyamusi to ease pressure on the current factory which he noted covers a large area.
This impact, he said, has been felt at the buying centre where farmers have been forced to wait for even three days to deliver their produce leading to a section of the opting for hawkers.
“Together with my colleagues, I will ensure a new factory project is started in Nyamusi to ease congestion here so that our crop is bought and processed in time to avert any post-harvest loses and that you realize the economic value for this cash crop,” said Mr. Arama.
“We will ensure that there is transparency in buying the commodity at the buying centres by ensuring that the digital weighing machines are well maintained to prevent tampering,” added Mr. Arama.
Sang’anyi is said to be processing the best quality black tea in the region but farmers have never enjoyed that benefit as they receive meager incomes in bonuses.
They received an average of Sh17 per kilogramme of green tea they delivered to the factory. The price was better than what they received in 2014 where a payment of Sh11 was paid per kilo.
They asked the county government to chip in and assist in repairing bad roads in the region to ease transportation of the commodity for processing while fresh.