One project Fairtrade decided to fund was improving tea buying centres – the buildings where farmers go to sell their green tea leaf to the factory. Geoffrey a farmer at Rukuriri tea Factory who sells his tea at Kimuri Buying Centre explains that the buying centres at Rukuriri were old, small and far away from most of the farms, meaning farmers had to spend time and money travelling to bring their produce. It was also difficult for them to keep a Covid-safe distance once inside. ‘The new centres were built nearer to the farms and are bigger, which means they don’t get as congested and farmers can keep social distance,’ says Geoffrey. ‘Our farmers have benefitted from these buying centres.’ Because the funding came from the Fairtrade Premium, farmers weren’t expected to cover the cost. ‘They are able to save some income which they would have contributed for constructing the centres,’ explains Geoffrey.
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