By G, KNA
A section of Nandi leaders wants Kenya Tea Development Authority to adopt modern methods of testing the quality of tea in the auction.
They said that the scientific model of testing caffeine in tea is more transparent and verifiable than in the traditional use of the tongue in classification of the tea grades.
Speaking during annual general meeting for Siret Out Growers Empowerment and Producer Company Limited in Nandi Hills, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang and Nandi Hills MP, Bernard Kitur, said that for years Kenya’s tea have been under the mercies of cartel ridden auction in the ports of Mombasa that subject local tea to biased quality testing system.
“We are petitioning for reforms to introduce blind testing and digital testing using scientific tools. These methods will ensure objective, transparent, and consistent quality assessment, restoring fairness in tea pricing and strengthening Kenya’s credibility in global markets,” Governor Sang hinted.
Sang said that with the advancement of technology in various sectors, the traditional system is obsolete and it has exposed farmers to deliberate exploitation in the competitive market.
“The old tea testing system is over 100 years old and we still ascertain the quality of our tea by merely testing by tongue, how do we explain that within the agriculture sector we still have such a model of tea system?” he posed.
He noted Rift Valley has been the victim of biased tea testing models which have classified the region’s green leaves as of low quality that other parts of the country.
“Such baseless perceptions are mostly used to discriminate against tea from Western region of Kenya; they are creations of brokers to undermine our farmers,” affirmed Governor Sang.
Like the coffee sub sector, Governor Sang who doubles us as the North Rift Economic Bloc NOREB whip, implored the government to consider tea farmers in financing the modernization and equipping their tea factories to boost quality production of tea.
MP Kitur noted that discriminative tendencies dominating the market on the quality of the tea have been detrimental to the primary producers and that the relevant entities should embrace technology to restore credibility of Kenya’s brand.
“We have been always told that western Kenya tea cannot fetch good prices on account of being grown in volcanic soil which is quite unfair. I think we are condemned,” he said.