Editor's Eye
As the government has moved to introduce regulations to control the lucrative tea sector, it has failed to focus on the multi nationals.
The government has centered on small scale tea growers , as it has turned a blind eye on the multi nationals who have dominated the export trade and who manipulate the auction market.
With much anxiety on the introduction of the regulations imposed by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, there is a need for a level playing ground for the stakeholders.
The small scale growers own 60 percent of tea in the country, with the multinationals in estates located in parts of Rift Valley controlling the rest.
There are mixed reactions with planned implementation of the imposed regulation, with directors in charge of the 69 tea factories flouting formulae used to conduct views from the stakeholders in the sector.
Worst still is the farmers are exploited by merchants in the villages who are selling substandard fertilizers, after KTDA was unable to import the same for distribution, as the tradition.
In Kigumo and Gatanga sub counties, a section of farmers have reported having been hoodwinked and bought fertilizer with high concentration of Sulphur.
The Sulphur is acidic to the soils and harmful to tea bushes.
As per the prayer of the farmers there is need for the re-introduction of the Tea Board of Kenya that used to regulate the sector and be facilitated to explore potential markets for our produce.
The Government has not helped factories dispose of piles of stock in warehouses.
In addition, there are absolutely no extension services provided to the farmers. In the new regulations, the Government has not made any commitment in terms of subsidies, loan guarantees towards value addition or even reduction of taxes on inputs.
The players in the industry acclaim the Government is suffering from hyperlexis by creating new laws against other existing laws.
A case in point is a regulation to control the number of Factory Directors, a regulation not consistent with the Companies act, 2015.
This phenomenon may lead to unfathomable litigations as a result of too many laws with too little justice.
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