Gichunguchu chief Peter Ng'ang'a has urged tea farmers to diversify production of different crops to cushion them from falling prices of tea prices.
Ng'ang'a said that the price of tea at local and international markets has been falling steadily.
Speaking yesterday at Gichunguchu , Gatundu South during a farmers' day , Ng'ang'a urged farmers to prepare their land and plant different crops to earn them a steadfast income.
“Last year the price of tea and bonus were discouraging and the future is bleak. Relying on tea farming is not viable due to fluctuating prices which diminish hopes of steady income,” said Ng'ang'a.
The chief urged farmers to try their hand at the cultivation of fruits and vegetables so that thet might have an edge in the competitive industry.
“Horticulture farming should be embraced as it has shown good returns,” said Ng'ang'a.
In recent years the ailing tea sub-sector has recorded poor performance due to a market glut.
The woes of the tea farmers have been expressed by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) which has said that the prices of tea have dropped as a result of oversupply in local and international markets in the wake of increased production.
However the tea farmers may get reprieve after the head of state , Uhuru Kenyatta struck a bilateral relationship with Algeria a few weeks ago and promised that the North Africa country would buy tea from Kenya.