KTDA to start processing purple tea

The Kenya Tea Development Authority is planning to set up a section for processing purple tea in some of its factories to safeguard farmers against exploitation by private investors.
Central region sustainable agriculture and farmers field school coordinator Jared Kebaya said KTDA had ordered special machinery to help process purple tea.
Mr Kebaya said the current production was not enough to necessitate setting up of a factory for exclusively processing purple tea.
He was speaking at Kithundire tea buying centre where 150 farmers from Mungania tea factory graduated after learning proper integrated crop husbandry.

He said Kangaita tea factory in Kirinyaga county was leading in production of purple tea, yet it produced only 3,000 kilograms annually.
PRIVATE INVESTOR

The official said KTDA was concerned by a move by a private investor in Meru to set up a factory to process the tea.

Mr Kebaya said KTDA anticipates more farmers will start cultivating the crop since it earns them more income compared to other types.
“A quarter a kilo of purple tea is sold at Sh650 since it has medicinal value while a kilo of black tea sells at Sh400. KTDA and Tea board of Kenya are looking for a market since they are charged with that obligation,” he said.
KTDA board member Samuel Ireri expressed concern with the ongoing unrest in Egypt, saying it could greatly affect the amount of tea Kenya exported to the country.
He said Kenya sold about 200,000 kilograms of tea to Egypt and was worried the continued unrest will affect tea export.
He said tea production had risen from 800,000 kilograms to 1billion kilograms mainly due to proper husbandry attributed to the success of the farmers’ field schools.
He appealed to farmers to embark on boosting quality to help Kenya tea maintain its dominance in the global market.
Embu county director of agriculture Joseph Ngatho urged farmers to embrace inter cropping so as to reap benefits when other crops failed.