It is indeed good news for tea farmers in Kisii and other parts of the country as IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) through its Management Services Limited (KTDA-MS) launched a Sh420 million initiative to improve yields and income for tea farmers in Kenya.
The initiative focuses on training farmers on crop nutrition, soil management and business skills.
Through the initiative, IFC and KTDA will conduct soil and leaf testing, and formulate the most appropriate fertilizer blends to help farmers maximise their tea yields.
Farmers will also receive training on financial management to effectively manage their farms and their incomes.
IFC will work with KTDA on managing their wood fuel supply, helping the company move to renewable energy sources.
Kenya is the third largest tea producer in the world, and the tea industry supports livelihoods of thousands of smallholder farmers.
KTDA operates 67 tea processing factories across the country, sourcing green leaf from 560,000 farmers, who are shareholders in their respective factories, which in turn own KTDA Holdings Limited.
“KTDA is pleased to sign this new partnership with IFC, one of our long-term partners. The project will increase the productivity of our smallholder farmers through improved fertilizer and tea nutritional management," said Lerionka Tiampati, KTDA Holding Group CEO.
"The partnership will also empower our farmers to manage their income efficiently, thereby helping them make informed decisions on how to save and invest their money,” he added.
Tania Lozansky, IFC head of advisory for manufacturing, agribusiness and services said,
“IFC and KTDA will use innovative soil testing and sustainable forestry techniques to boost yields and increase revenues for tea farmers in Kenya."
"IFC is committed to supporting companies like KTDA, which have the potential to improve living standards and reduce poverty for rural farmers.”
The new initiative continues a long-standing partnership between IFC and KTDA, which began in 2012 when IFC first invested in the company’s expansion.
In 2016, IFC made another loan of $55 million to finance seven small hydropower plants to power KTDA’s tea factories.
The funding from IFC has been made possible by the government of Japan through the Comprehensive Japan/IFC Trust Fund-Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) window.