Small scale tea farmers in the country will make better earnings if they fully embrace the use of innovative machinery in their production, according to a KTDA subsidiary firm that deals in technology.

Tea Machinery and Engineering Company (TEMEC), says farmers need to embrace technology instead of fighting it, as it is essential for boosting value and amount of produce prompting better market price.

Temec is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), actively engaged in promoting the adoption of machines among small holder tea farmers through various initiatives.

The company’s general manager Michael Cherutich, in an interview with the Star, said from a recent survey in tea growing regions showed that automation has boosted  product amount and value, triggered by improved precision and quality control.

“Work output also experienced a notable enhancement, allowing farmers to achieve higher yields with reduced manual labour,” Cherutich said.

On the concern of locals losing their jobs to machines, further raising unemployment levels, Cherutich said automation is aimed at improving the situation, rather than worsening.

“Instead of replacing jobs, the machines enhance efficiency and productivity, enabling labourers to accomplish tasks that were previously time-consuming and physically demanding,” Cherutich said.

He added that the transformation further allows farmers to focus on more strategic aspects of their work, such as crop management and quality improvement.

Kenya is the third leading producer of tea and the biggest exporter, accounting for about 28 per cent of the world's tea exports.

Last year, Kenya's earnings from tea exports rose to $1.07 billion (Sh138 billion) from Sh136 billion the previous year.

In 2021, the sector earned the country Sh136 billion in foreign exchange.

Despite the earnings, tea farmers are often poorly paid and the cash comes in way too late.

Smallholder tea farmers in the country account for around 65 per cent of the total tea production, with the remaining 35 per cent being in the hands of multinationals.

The smallholder tea sub-sector, which supports approximately 700,000 farmers, employs more than 10,000 staff across the group and indirectly over five million Kenyans.

It accounts for about 60 per cent of Kenya’s tea production, four per cent of the GDP and over 15 per cent of the global tea exports, providing tea to many tea packers across the world.

Temec in collaboration with Greenland Fedha, KTDA’s subsidiary microfinance, has embarked on a funding initiative to assist farmers, local agricultural agencies and cooperatives to access machines and ensure widespread access.