State-owned Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) says tea processing costs in KTDA-allied factories deny smallholder tea farmers high incomes.

Consequently, the agency is exploring ways and means of cutting the high cost of production to raise farmers’ income from their tea.

KTDA has entered into a pact with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to explore and research more on use of gasification in powering tea processing in all KTDA allied factories.

On Friday, a team from UNIDO visited Kiru tea factory in Mathioya sub-county for consultations with the board of directors of KTDA, where it was established the processing of tea using firewood has become expensive and also led to degradation of the environment caused by increasing cutting down of trees.

KTDA Chair Chege Kirundi welcomed the deal with UNIDO, saying it a new way of conserving the environment and use of alternative sources of energy will be developed so as to support processing of tea in a cost-effective manner.

Use of gasification which is from biomass of tea waste to run tea factories, Kirundi said is the way to go as this will reduce over reliance on wood as fuel in processing of tea. Kirundi said leadership in the tea sector over the years have been exploring better ways to increase production at the reduced cost.

“Through the engagement with the researchers under UNIDO there is a light at the end of the tunnel as pruning of the tea bushes and other plants in the farm can be of major importance in generation of gas to power tea processing,” said Kirundi, also Kiru Tea Factory chair.

The factories use wood fuel bought from the tea farmers and gotten from tree plantations after the factories stopped using furnace oil to run the boilers.

UNIDO team led by Ms Darti Shah and Karen Taylor said the organisation will be working with the tea directors to reduce cost of production by 10 per cent through a programme dubbed Accelerating Climate Innovation technology.

The team composed of members from Indonesia, Canada, Nigeria, Britain and Brazil said they are working on educating the people on use of clean energy at reduced cost.

The researchers said recommended gasification in the factories, saying the biomass is converted from tea pruning and farm waste that can be used in running the tea boilers to ensure trees are spared as source of fuel in the factories.

 “Waste can be used in a prudent way to be useful in tea production and reduce the cost of production, and increase returns to the smallholder tea growers,” said Darti.

She added that clean energy has several advantages, especially in conserving the environment, asking all players in the tea sector to embrace innovations which are aimed to mitigate climate change.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Bernard Munyao