The Director of Eastern Produce Kenya (EPK) Tea Company in Nandi County, Leah Bii has challenged tea farmers to work on improving the quality of their tea leaves, so as to ensure better returns in the global market.
High quality tea leaves are characterized by several factors including leaf size, shape colour and overall freshness that when adhered to offers superior flavor, aroma and health benefits.
The picked tea leaves should be two leaves and a bud, relatively uniform in size and Shape, unbroken, smooth, supple and heavy for their size indicating freshness.
Speaking during a field day to cultivate sustainable community partnerships held at Kipsitoi Primary School in Nandi Hills, Bii observed that when the quality of tea is high, the supplied tea will always be considered due to the quality standards despite the fluctuation of the international market prices, thus avoiding the loses that come with low prices in the market.
“During field day farmers learn about the latest technologies that we have, the best practices of ensuring quality tea. Ensure you put what you have learnt today into practice to ensure quality tea leaves. Let us guard the tea quality,” she explained, lauding farmers who had been plucking quality tea.
The Director utilized the same platform to urge tea farmers to do extensive farming to be able to counter the challenges that come with the fluctuation of income due to low market prices divulging that when farmers depend on one crop, when prices in the market decline they are negatively affected.
Bii further advised farmers to practice business-oriented farming by utilizing all the land they have in cultivating other crops like coffee, potatoes, avocado, maize, vegetables as well as livestock farming to increase their income.
EPK operations director Noel Smith divulged that as a company their role is to cultivate sustainable community partnerships to ensure tea purchased in Nandi becomes the best tea purchased from Kenya.
“Today we are here to celebrate our partnership with tea farmers of Nandi. For us to remain sustainable and successful we must work together to ensure tea purchased in Nandi is the very best. To achieve this, we have to step up to supply quality tea,” pointed smith noting that EPK is committed to encouraging and supporting the community.
The County department of Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperative Development Chief Officer Dr. Paul Sanga commended EPK Tea Company for their endless effort of cultivating sustainable community partnerships noting that such field days provide great opportunity for farmers to learn a lot on best agricultural practices, new technologies to embrace as well as diversification of agricultural sector.
Sanga observed that tea is one of the leading cash crops in Kenya calling on farmers to adhere to rules of quality tea as well as undertake all the measures available in improving the quality of green leaf thus achieve high returns in the international market.
“Tea is one of the leading cash crops in Kenya. We have challenges of price variation, but we can address this by ensuring we pluck quality tea,” noted Dr. Sanga encouraging farmers to consume local tea.
Nandi East Deputy County Commissioner Ngalia Ndaya echoed the sentiments, noting that to be able to compete with different countries growing tea, farmers ought to apply all the measures that can enhance the quality of their tea.
“To compete with other countries, we have to ensure our tea quality is the best. Apply all you have learnt today to increase the quality of tea,” said Ngalia.
By Ruth Mainye
