NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 10 – President William Ruto has announced a KSh850 million investment to modernise machinery and equipment in 17 tea factories across the country, in a move aimed at improving efficiency and increasing the value of Kenyan tea.

📻 Breaking It Down

Ruto said the funds had been budgeted for and made available, assuring tea farmers of the Government’s commitment to improving the sector’s performance.

“The money has been budgeted for and made available,” the President said.

He also announced that the Government had allocated 50 acres of land at the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone in Mombasa to the Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) for the establishment of a plant.

📌 What You Need to Know

The President made the announcements on Friday during the final day of the three-day Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Summit at the ASK Showground in Jamhuri Park, Nairobi.

Ruto said reforms introduced across the agricultural sector had improved farmers’ livelihoods and strengthened production, citing developments in the dairy industry as evidence of the Government’s efforts.

He noted that Kenya had overtaken other African countries to become the continent’s largest milk producer, with annual output increasing from approximately 4.5 billion litres to 5.6 billion litres.

According to the President, subsidised fertiliser has helped farmers produce more fodder and silage, supporting increased milk production.

He added that dairy farmers were now earning KSh50 per litre of milk, compared to KSh35 in 2022.

“Like we reformed the sugar sector, we are doing the same in the dairy sector and getting rid of those frustrating farmers’ efforts to increase milk production,” he said.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya