TEA NEWS

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS), Peter Munya, noted that initially the tea auction was being operated three days in a week but since the trading has gone electronic and the catalogues can now be generated online, it was time to move on and increase the time.

Private label is a unique opportunity to offer our customers products that are not inferior in consumer qualities to analogues of well-known brands, but at the same time they cost much less.

GOOD DEMAND FOR TEA

• They took over the offices early Monday morning under tight security. • They pledged to provide quality leadership and protect farmers from any forms of oppression. • They were elected by the farmers in an incident-free poll despite a court order stopping the polls.

Their predecessors fail to turn up but they were not bothered, said they were acting in farmers' interests. In Summary • Former directors had been accused of colluding with Kenya Tea Development Agency to frustrate implementation of tea sector reforms. • The new directors assumed office in line with the Executive Order issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta early last month.

GOOD DEMAND CLOSELY FOLLOWING QUALITY

While presenting their nomination papers, the contestants accused the sitting directors of planning to mobilize tea farmers to disrupt the elections which are scheduled for coming Saturday 10th April. John Kathangu a tea farmer from Runyenjes said that the directors manning the factories are opposed to the new tea regulations brought by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya.

In Summary • Kenya Tea Development Agency went to court seeking to stop the election set to take place on April 21 this year. • Kenya Union of Small Tea growers secretary general Mugambi Nkanata said they will use Section 139 of KTDA Regulations.

SELECTIVE DEMAND WITH BUYERS FOLLOWING QUALITY

Tea directors in Meru and Tharaka Nithi’s factories are opposed to the proposal seeking to sell their crop at the Mombasa auction. The factories are said to have entered into agreements with overseas buyers that buy their produce at a higher price as compared to what the tea auction is to offer.

Directors of seven tea factories in Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties have warned of anarchy in the sector and loss of assets if the forced takeover of factories continues. They claimed that the elections of factory directors have been infiltrated by people pursuing personal interests. The directors warned that if transition from the current leadership to those who are being elected is not properly handled, it could lead to loss of assets and collapse of some factories.

• He said the county relies heavily on agriculture, hence the need to cushion farmers against financial burdens. • Barchok pointed out that most farmers in tea-growing areas of the county were still using makeshift structures in handling green leaf.