By The Mountain Journal
A
Task force has been appointed to Design, Development and Implementation of the
Tea Standardization of tea prices.
The
committee chaired by Irungu Nyakera was appointed by
Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary Mr Peter Munya and has two months to come
up with a report.
Operations of the committee will be catered by Agriculture Food Authority (AFA), the regulator in the tea industry.
The
committee members are Daniel Amanga, Ms Nancy Laibuni, Dennis Olila, Eliud Mathu, Ms Wanja Michuki, Patrick Maina, Ms Catherine Nyamboke, Abraham Muthoga, Kiplangat
Josea and John Mwaka.
Wanja is a daughter
of the late John Michuki the former
Kangema MP.
They
are charged with responsibility to develop a price stabilization framework for
the tea industry in Kenya.
Evaluate
the resources requirement and possible sources to support the sector.
The
members will consider and evaluate plausible sustainability options for the tea
industry.
Appointment
of the task force to implement standardization of tea prices has excited the
local tea farmers who said they had been oppressed by the low returns in the sector.
The
growers estimated at 680,000 anticipate that the task force will come up
with the best price.
In
Murang’a County, the farmers led by Peter Kihungi from Kanyenya ini ward said
the appointment of the taskforce committee gives the farmers the opportunity to
get more returns from the sector estimated at 50 percent of the produce.
Mr
Kihungi said the appointment of Chairman of Tea Sector Group Irungu Nyakera to
head the team follows the election of the new directors.
Kihungi
said the committee should also look into ways of training the new directors to
educate them on their roles in the sector.
“It
is worth noting that the directors were elected with a purpose to reclaim the
glory of the sector.
More
importantly is that the directors should not be looped in the cartel network to
give the farmers a low deal,” said Kihungi who advocated for reforms in the tea
sector.
Joyce
Murigi from Kiru tea factory said the committee has their mandate as Nyakera
remained steadfast in standing with the growers and initiated the reforms.
“
The reforms in the tea sector started in the Kiru tea factory after our
chairman Chege Kirundi demanded transparency in the operations by the agency,” said Murigi.
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