Tea pickers in Kericho. [Photo/capitalfm.co.ke]
Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA) has defended the mechanization of tea farming under the association.
The Association Chief Executive Officer Apollo Kiarie said on Wednesday that the move will improve efficiency and productivity in the farms.
Kiarie dismissed allegations that many workers have lost their jobs through the introduction of mechanization saying the same was not true.
He said mechanization has been there since the introduction of the crop in the country and involves the use of various machines and equipment.
Kiarie said their social partners-the Union misunderstands the implications of mechanization by believing that workers will lose their jobs.
He revealed that mechanization was introduced as one of a way of increasing efficiency and they mix and try to manage the current workers by giving them good remuneration, introduce mechanization knowing that it should not be a solution to the end but as a means of improving efficiency and sustainability.