{"id":850282,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/850282/?format=json","text_counter":20,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"KTDA). I, the undersigned, on behalf of small holder tea farmers, draw the attention of the House to the following: THAT, since its inception, tea growing in Kenya has expanded rapidly making it a significant contributor to the Kenyan economy through exports with a direct impact on over 3 million small holder tea farmers; THAT, tea growing in Kenya is regulated by various policies established by the Kenya Tea Directorate under the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Act, 2013; THAT, KTDA was incorporated in 2000 to liberalise the tea industry and enable tea farmers to exercise control over the management of their factories through board management agents; THAT, KTDA has given itself additional mandates for instance, acting as a marketing agent for farmers, investing farmers’ money in subsidiary companies, taking part in key decision-making processes hence locking farmers out, provision of secretariat services and taking up the ownership of tea factories, among others; The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."}