The government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has waived off taxes on packaging materials in a bid to raise farmer's productivity and incomes through value addition. Speaking during a stakeholders meeting held at a Kericho hotel with Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA)-managed smallholder tea factory directors in the West of Rift Region on Tuesday, Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe said the government is committed to supporting the tea sector and working closely with key stakeholders to unlock new international markets for Kenyan tea. "We want to make changes in the tea industry for farmers to benefit from their tea.
We have removed taxes related to packaging materials a major contributor to high costs on value addition." said CS Kagwe.
He urged tea farmers to focus on producing high quality tea and adhere to leaf-quality plucking that is defined by two leaves and a bud for them to earn higher bonuses in addition to attracting better returns in international markets. "It is important that we have quality tea.
Farming is business and we must look at it from a business point of view.
