The People Sunday
Date: 18.05.2014
Page 52
Article size: 186 cm2
ColumnCM: 41.33
AVE: 0.0
Nyeri county
farmers boycott
tea picking
BySETHMWANIKI
A SECTION of tea farmers in
ment to her because she was
Nyeri county have in the last
three days, boycotted pick­
ing the crop in their farms to
protest the non­payment of
the mid­year mini­bonus by
the Kenya Tea Developmenl
Agency (KTDA).
A spot check by T7te People
in most tea buying centres
banking on the payment to
setde one of her chi Idren's
school fees.
Another farmer, l.ucy Wan­
gari, said she will only resume
picking her tea only if KTDA
recedes the decision. "I have
no money to pay workers in
my farm and they cannot pick
showed few or no deliveries
the tea for free I am therefore,
were being made with some
of the farmers, saying lack of
ihe mini­bonus had damp­
demanding payment, "she
ened their spirit to work.
They termed the move by
KTDA to withhold the pay­
ment, normally paid out be­
tween April and May, a major
carrying on as usual and are
said.
A few farmers, are however,
optimistic thai tea prices at
the in.ernationa! market will
improve and the interim pay­
ment reinstated next year.
Duncan Njuki from Ihithe.
blow because they rely on il
in die same constituency, said
to pay school fees for their
children and to settle wages to while it was regrettable that
dreir workers.
they are going to miss out on
KTDA announced in March the mini­bonus, it is only pru­
dent diat he continues pick­
that it would not pay out the
interim payment commonly ing his tea to avert incurring
known as mini­bonus due to
losses occasioned by neglect­
ing the crop.
depressed international tea
prices. The marketing agency
chairman Peter Kanyago cited
tea growing regions in Kiam­
bu, Nyeri, Murang'a and Mem,
as areas where farmers would
miss out on the payment.
Kanyago, also advised farm­
ers in die country to prepare
for reduced tea earnings for
the year 2013/2014 second
"bonus", which is usually paid
toward the end of October and
early November,
Yesterday, Margaret Nduta,
a farmer from Ndugamano
area in T'etu constituency, said
the announcement by ICTDA
had come as a big disappoint­
NO GAIN: A farmer picks tea. KTDA suspended Ihe payment of the
mini­bonus due to what It said were depressed international tea prices.
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