Directors affiliated with Nyamache and Itumbe factories in Kisii County have urged their colleagues to avoid corruption during the upcoming national elections for Kenya Tea Development Agency’s factories scheduled for Friday.
Job Ndarera and Morang’a Choti have called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials to ensure the elections are free, fair, and transparent. Both directors emphasized that they would not tolerate corruption during or after the election.
They also encouraged farmers to elect directors based on their development record and their dedication to advancing tea farming.
“I do not want farmers to gamble with the tea business. Farmers have records of directors and urge them to choose the best” Choti told Business Hub in Kisii town yesterday.
Job Ndarera emphasized the high global demand for orthodox tea and encouraged farmers to embrace it to enhance their earnings and improve their standard of living. He pointed out that some farmers at Itumbe Tea Factory have already adopted orthodox tea and are seeing positive results.
The management at Nyamache Tea Factory is preparing to start processing orthodox tea.
Ndarera also advised farmers to avoid intercropping tea with other crops, as this practice can negatively affect both the quantity and quality of the tea, leading to lower prices in the global market. He highlighted that consumers are very particular about the quality and aroma of the processed tea and will reject it if they find it lacking.
Additionally, Ndarera urged farmers to apply the fertilizer provided by their respective factories exclusively to their tea crops to boost production and earnings.
