Tea farmers to receive bonus payment in October
A woman picks tea leaves in Gathehu Village in Nyeri County. More than 560,000 tea farmers across the country will start receiving their bonuses in October. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The bonus rate has slightly improved compared to 2016.
- Farmers in Central Kenya received a mini bonus of Sh5 in April 2017.
- KTDA announced the bonus rate for Gitugi Tea Factory at Sh56.50 per kilogramme.
More than 560,000 tea farmers across the country will start receiving their bonuses in October.
Some farmers in Nyeri County are already celebrating after Kenya Tea Development Agency announced improved rates.
Although tea production fell due to poor rains experienced countrywide this year, the bonus rate has slightly improved compared to 2016.
The agency has announced the bonus rate for Gitugi Tea Factory at Sh56.50 per kilogramme of green leaf delivered compared to Sh46.50 paid out in the 2016/2017 financial year.
“Tea production went down this year but I am excited because the pay-out will help me keep my children in school,” said Beth Nderitu, a tea farmer who produced 1,000 kilos from her farm.
But while some are happy with the announcement, some feel they will not get much money because of the low production.
Farmers in Central Kenya received a mini bonus of Sh5 in April 2017 compared to Sh3 that they received in 2016.
The farmers are waiting to see if the bonus will be higher than the Sh80 billion total pay-out that KTDA made in 2016.
In earlier reports, the tea agency said the dry weather that was being experienced in the country had reduced tea production by 30 percent.
This means tea farmers may not realise huge a bonus like they did in 2016 as production dropped from 77.9 million kilogrammes to approximately 50 million kilos by March 2017.
