BURURI, May 29th (ABP) – Tea growers in the commune of Mugamba, in Bururi province, are asking tea factory managers to increase the price of a kilo of green tea leaves, farmers have told us.
According to the farmers, maintaining, fertilising and picking the green leaves takes up a lot of their time, yet the price of a kilo does not exceed 350BIF, a sum they consider derisory compared to the other prices of essential foodstuffs such as maize, beans and potatoes. In addition, they point out, prices on the market have soared that to buy a kilo of beans they have to sell 10 kilos of green leaves, adding that it is often impossible to exceed 10 kilos of green leaves per day of picking.
Another concern is that they should be paid monthly, instead of waiting a whole quarter, and that payment should be made hand to hand.
The manager of the Tora tea factory, Eric Nduwayezu, pointed out that less than a year ago the government increased the price of a kilo of tea from 280 to 350 BIF in order to encourage them. Instead, he is asking them to look after their plantations properly in order to increase production. He is also asking them to extend their properties so that they can take out loans to improve their living conditions.