Kenya Railways and KTDA partner to transport tea

The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) and Kenya Railways have come together in a partnership to transport produce from KTDA factories via the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The partnership will see produce from these factories move from Nairobi to the Port of Mombasa for exportation.

Tea from the KTDA managed factories will be transported from the respective counties to Nairobi’s Freight terminal and then onto the Kenya Railways wagon as it moves to the Port of Mombasa. The first trip of the partnership saw KTDA move 31 containers of tea which is roughly 8000 tons on the SGR.

Speaking in Mombasa on the 6th of January, Principal Secretary in State Department for Crop Development and Agricultural Research, Prof. Hamadi Boga, noted that the move to transport tea via SGR is an innovative step that will lower tea transport costs.

“Plans to transport tea via Kenya Railways have been in the pipeline for a while now as we explored new technologies and infrastructure to enhance efficiencies in the tea supply chain. We are cognizant that the progression to Kenya Railways will guarantee faster, safer and more convenient transportation of tea,” he said.

Speaking at the same venue, the Kenya Railways Managing Director Mr. Phillip Mainga assured the KTDA team that opting for the Standard Gauge Railway was the best choice because of the benefits associated with railway transport.

This new partnership is bound to make costs drop for a lot of farmers and increase access to markets.

 

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