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Tea Workers On Leave as Drought Affects Factory Production

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Tea estate workers numbering more than 40,000 have been forced to take their leave due to declining production in factories brought on by drought in the country. This will significantly diminish their wage earnings.

The workers earn a minimum wage in addition to Sh13.50 per kilo of tea they harvest.

According to the Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA), harsh climatic conditions have forced factories to operate three to four days a week. This has led to factories significantly cutting down operations.

“The industry is currently grappling with harsh climatic conditions. The current extended drought from October 2018 to date is the longest and worst ever and has caused the tea bushes to wither and, in some instances, to dry up completely,” KTGA chief executive, Apollo Kiarii told the Business Daily.

He added that production has dropped significantly, in some instances to below 50 percent. He also pointed out that operations have had to be scaled down at both garden and plucking activities and factory level. This means that workers have had to take advance leave as there is little to keep them fully engaged.

Kenya’s tea export earnings are expected to lower this year due to a drop in factory operations. This is as traders at the weekly auction noted lower prices on concerns over quality of the crop.

Tea is currently fetching Sh193 a kilo down from Sh270 in the same interval last year in a four-year-low.

It is projected that it will take another six to eight weeks for the crop to recover should the forecasted March-April rains come to pass.

However, despite the rain, the financial earnings of the industry will suffer this year. This is owing to the additional cost of replanting and infilling the fields for the dried crops.

Tea, the largest source of employment in the rural economy, contributes greatly to the social and economic sustainability of the regions it is grown.

Last year, the commodity earned Sh140 billion in foreign exchange, one of its best performances in recent years.

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