Tag: KTDA

Kenya’s tea production to receive a boost as agency imported fertilizer arrives

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KENYA –   Kenya’s tea production is set to receive a major boost after key fertilizer arrived in the country in August for distribution to some 650,000 small scale farmers affiliated to factories managed by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA).  KTDA chairman David Gichoga says the 1.5 million bags consignment has docked in the post of Mombasa and will be distributed to farmers in the shortest time before the onset of the short rains.  Speaking in Mombasa during an induction workshop for 54 tea factories on good corporate governance, Gichoga said there is need to maximize…

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Smallholder tea farmers to get direct ownership of Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings

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KENYA – Individual smallholder tea farmers affiliated with the Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings PLC (KTDA Holdings PLC) will now own direct shareholding of the company alongside their respective 54 tea factory companies, further cementing their ownership and proprietorship in the organisation. This comes after KTDA shareholders amended the company’s Articles of Association to enable the allotment of the company’s shares to individual farmers under a new category of shareholders known as “Tea Farmers.” Each of the 54 Tea Factory Companies, through their respective portions of their 5 million bonus…

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Kenya Tea Development Agency seeks to power its factories using solar energy

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KENYA – Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) is the latest firm in Kenya seeking to generate its own power using renewable energy. The tea producer and processor, through its wholly-owned subsidiary KTDA Power Company (KTPC) Ltd has launched a tender seeking independent power producers (IPPs) for the construction of a series of small-sized solar parks. The projects are expected to have a capacity ranging from 300kW to 1MW and are intended at powering KTDA’s 29 factories and about half of the 68 facilities it manages, located across Kenya, cutting its…

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Kenya enacts new tea regulation bill as agency declares US$6.73m dividend for tea farmers

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KENYA – The push for reforms in Kenya’s tea sector culminated in the signing into law of a new bill by President Uhuru Kenyatta, bringing hope for thousands of farmers who have for a long time complained mismanagement of their beloved crop. One of the major highlights of the new law is the creation of the Tea Board of Kenya and the revival of the Tea Research Institute. This could mean that proper funding can be sourced for the sector to assist farmers and also to boost research on new…

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Kenyan tea exports dip by 6% in the first quarter affected by the Covid-19 pandemic

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KENYA – Kenyan Tea exports in the first quarter of the year 2020 fell by six per cent from 137 million kilos recorded in 2019 to 128 million kilos, according to the Tea Directorate. Tea exports to top three markets declined significantly i.e. Pakistan by 15 percent while Egypt and the United Kingdom recorded declines of 10 percent each, as the world grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on global trade. Pakistan, Kenya’s main market for tea, saw its import volumes decline to 42 million kilos from 49.3…

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Kenya Tea Development Agency raises concerns on proposed industry policy reforms

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KENYA – The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has aired it’s views on the proposed policy regulatory and administrative framework recently issued by the Ministry of Aagriculture, aimed reenergize the ailing tea sector in the country and loosen KTDA’s stranglehold in the sector citing some of the rules are unconstitutional. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Peter Munya released the draft Tea Industry Regulations 2020 last week and gave stakeholders 14 days within which to present their views. According to Peter Munya, the regulatory reforms are critical in curtailing the crisis in the…

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Kenyan government unveils new tea regulations trimming KTDA powers

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KENYA – The Kenyan government has proposed new policy regulatory and administrative framework to reenergize the ailing tea sector in the country. The Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS), Peter Munya said the regulatory reforms were critical in curtailing the crisis in the tea sector and will see the total overhaul of the corporation to ensure that farmers get the value of their toil. “Government agenda is to look at the current gaps along the value chain and ensure small scale tea farmers enjoy their hard earned sweat and this will require…

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Kenyan government sets new reforms to govern the agriculture sector

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KENYA – Kenyan tea farmers are set to reap big following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive targeting only 20 percent of local tea produce to be sold at the Mombasa Tea Auction while the remaining 80% sold directly to prospective buyers to improve farmers earnings. In addition to that, the President directed radical restructuring measures of Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) and its subsidiaries to have their own respective management and regularly publish results of their sales. The Agriculture ministry is also expected to explore the option of KTDA paying farmers…

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Kenyan tea agency approves increase in farmer prices to boost supply

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KENYA – The Kenya Tea and Development Agency (KTDA), which runs over 60 Tea processing factories in the country, has resolved to increase pay-outs to farmers in selected regions as part of the efforts to boost supply. KTDA national chairman Peter Kanyago said the agency resolved to pay farmers between Sh17 and Sh18 per kilo of green leaf starting July following a consultative meeting with the Agriculture ministry.  “We have conducted a survey of payment to farmers through the directors of their factories combined with one by the ministry and…

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Kenyan tea agency secures US$10m credit facility to improve trading operations

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KENYA – The Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings (KTDA) has secured a US$10 million (Sh1 billion) credit facility from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to help the agricultural firm improve its tea trading operations. The funds will form part of KTDA’s planned total investment of US$17.7 million (Sh1.7 billion) aimed at upgrading its warehouses and related logistics infrastructure. The terms of the proposed loan, including interest rate and maturity, were not disclosed but according to IFC the funding structure is on favourable terms not readily available in Kenya, reports Business…

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