Human VS Machine: Kenyan Tea Pickers Protest, Distroy Machine
Tea Pickers in Kenya Protest Against Automation of Agribusiness
In Kericho county of Kenya, tea pickers are engaging in a massive protest over the automation of agribusiness and other challenges faced by workers.
Around ten tea-plucking machines worth around $1.2 million have been torched belonging to Ekaterina Tea Company (formerly Unilever)- producers of Lipton over the last year in different attacks.
The automation of tea harvesting increases the global competitiveness of Kenya’s tea and helps reduce the cost of production.
Analysts say the recent opposition to mechanization will not stop the adoption of machines where necessary.
A government task force has proposed a human-machine tea-picking ratio of 60:40 and a reduction in the number of imported tea-harvesting machines.
Speaking to the press, a task force member Nicholas Kiruis Kirui said tens of thousands of jobs have been lost to mechanisation in the past decade.
In his words “We did public participation in all the wards and with all the different groups, and the overwhelming sentiment we were hearing was that the machines should go”.
However, a top official of one of Kenya’s major tea producers noted that mechanisation was critical to the company’s operation and how competitive Kenya tea would be in the international market.
The disagreement between tea-picture pickersoducers has resulted in protests that have led to the death of one protester and several injured.
Earlier in March, a local government task force proposed a human-machine tea picking ratio of 60:40. The task force also wants a reduction in the number of tea harvesting machines imported into the country.
According to a study by analysts, the automation of agribusiness is necessary for increasing global competitiveness and reducing production costs.
However, it is governments and companies need to ensure keys are not left behind as they adopt new technologies.
