KTDA puts Strategies in Place to Transform ‘Farmers First’ Philosophy into Actionable Systems

The Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings (KTDA(H) Limited has put in strategies to transform the ‘Farmers First’ philosophy into actionable systems and services to ensure growers reap maximum benefits from their produce.

The Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings (KTDA(H) Limited has put in strategies to transform the ‘Farmers First’ philosophy into actionable systems and services to ensure growers reap maximum benefits from their produce.

KTDA Group Chief Executive Officer, Wilson Muthaura said the agency was executing a comprehensive transformation strategy anchored on sustainability, innovation and farmer-centric governance.

He said KTDA’s singular goal was to maximise value for farmers while building a world-class, future-ready tea enterprise.

Muthaura revealed that KTDA had launched a major internal restructuring effort to ensure that the transformation and intended goals were achieved.

He added that the agency’s board had established ten cross-functional management committees to drive efficiency, reduce costs and accelerate value addition.

The GCEO said the committees would also identify business opportunities along the entire value chain from farm to factory and all the way to the market.

“These committees are actively feeding into our newly developed KTDA Group Strategic Plan, which aims to future-proof our operations,” he added.

He explained that the transformation strategy was not a top-down process since it was arrived at after a landmark meeting, the first of its kind since the Tea Act reforms of 2020 which was convened by KTDA chairman.

“All the 71 factory unit managers and KTDA’s senior leadership came together to co-develop a roadmap that ensures every decision made benefited the farmer.,” he said.

Muthaura said KTDA’s main objective was to ensure that farmers received not just better prices but better services.

“The services range from enhancing fertiliser distribution and leaf collection logistics to upgrading factory efficiency and introducing traceability tools,” he said.

The GCEO observed that implementation of the Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) enterprise system was already streamlining operations across KTDA thereby ensuring smarter, data-driven decisions.

He said KTDA had enhanced its digital backbone to create more agile processes and eliminate inefficiencies.

“The agency is doubling down on communication and farmer engagement to ensure that growers are not just recipients of services, but co-owners of the solutions because they are shareholders, stakeholders, and strategic partners,” he said.