Land fragmentation, rising costs a threat to tea farming - Gathuthi boss
Gathuthi Tea Factory Chairman Hosea Kimamo has highlighted both the potential and the challenges facing tea farmers in the factory’s catchment area.
According to Mr Kimamo, the region has significant potential for increased productivity per unit area, provided that improvements are made in crop husbandry practices.
However, he warned that continued subdivision of farmland is negatively impacting yields and threatening the long-term economic viability of tea farming.
“The key issues facing Gathuthi farmers include poor crop husbandry, inadequate labour for tea plucking, high plucking costs, land fragmentation, and the escalating costs of production due to high energy, labour, and input prices,” said Mr Kimamo on Friday.
Gathuthi Tea Factory processes green leaf delivered by local farmers, which is then marketed and sold through various channels.
The majority--94.17 percent--is sold via the Mombasa auction.
A smaller portion is sold directly overseas (0.2 percent), through factory door sales (5.26 percent), and via Kenya Tea Packers (Ketepa).
