FUNCTIONS OF TEA BOARD OF KENYA The Board’s mandate includes carrying out the following core functions: Regulation and control of cultivation and processing of tea The Board regulates and controls the cultivation of tea; registers tea growers and management agents. It also licenses tea manufacturing factories and regulates and controls the method of manufacture. While licensing a new factory, the Board ensures there is adequate leaf to meet processing capacity, without creating over-capacity in any given zone. Licensed factories are required to maintain a register of growers falling under them, on behalf of the Board. The Board may vary, cancel or suspend any license issued to a company if the terms and conditions of the license are violated. The Board monitors compliance on all aspects of tea regulation and control of cultivation and manufacture of tea. To date, The Board has licensed 62 smallholder-owned factories managed by Kenya Tea Development Agency Ltd and 39 private estate companies. Before issuing of licenses, the Board ensures that no manufacturing over-capacity is created in any tea catchment area, and that any new manufacturer has more than 250 hectares of mature tea bushes to run the factory. Monitoring Trade in Tea The Board monitors trade in tea by registering tea buyers, brokers and packers and any other person dealing in tea. All registered buyers, brokers and packers are required to make regular returns of tea purchases and sales to the Board. The Board verifies compliance with export registration requirements by authenticating all export contracts. Tea Research and Advisory The Board facilitates research on all matters relating to the tea industry by funding research programmes undertaken by the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK). The research programmes are aimed at improving planting material, husbandry, yields, quality, and disease and pests control. In addition to undertaking research, the Foundation provides advisory services to the growers on specific problems encountered in tea cultivation through organized field visits, demonstrations, and publication of research findings and reports. Tea Promotion and Marketing of Kenya Tea The Board promotes tea locally and internationally through an elaborate, generic promotion and marketing strategy. The Board promotes the merits of Kenya tea to increase its sales by engaging in efforts to: Promoting tea consumption in the local market Market exploration and surveys for Kenya tea exports Generic promotion of Kenya tea in the overseas markets through participation in trade fairs and exhibitions Collaboration with international bodies in tea promotion and pursuit of mutual interests. Working closely with Kenya’s Diplomatic missions abroad Subscription to tea councils and associations Liaison with the Tea Industry and Government The Board liaises with key tea industry members, various local and international institutions and bodies on matters of common interest to the industry. These organizations include Government Ministries and agencies, tea organizations and trade bodies. Information Dissemination The Board collects and disseminates statistics and other information relating to tea and its production, sales and consumption. Information disseminated regularly relates to tea planting, production, local and export tea sales and consumption. Advisory Role The Board builds stakeholder consensus and advices the Government on policy matters concerning the tea industry. Such on-going liaison with industry members ensures feedback on diverse operations such as tea growing, processing, sales and marketing and tea trade matters. Other stakeholders the Board operates in concert with on trade-related matters are the Export Promotion Council, Investment Promotion Centre, the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Ministries of Trade and Industry, Finance and Agriculture; and Finance and bilateral and multi-lateral development partners such as International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Resource Mobilization and Utilization The Board finances its operations from levies of cess on manufactured tea. The cess money is used to finance capital and recurrent expenses related to research, promotion and administrative activities. To ensure that tea roads are well maintained, the Board levies cess on production and disburses it to the District Road Committees which consists of farmers and local authorities’ representatives.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 10:40:53 +0000
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