The NTZDC Board of Directors led by the newly appointed Chairperson Prof. Elizabeth Pantoren and MD Peter Korir early June visited the East of Rift zones as part of the orientation programme for the new Board members and senior staff.
The NTZDC entourage commenced the tour in Meru Central Zone where they braved the chilly morning weather to inspect the ongoing buffer expansion project to protect the Nyambene forest. While in Meru, the operations team took the Board through the agronomical practices in tea husbandry including propagation of tea seedlings, nursery preparation and maintenance and planting of the tea seedlings. The Directors also visited the purple tea plantations in Nyambene catchment which has been ongoing for four years.
The Board noted the various challenges in the zone and promised support to overcome them. They Directors commended the Meru Central zone team for a job well done and urged them to surpass their targets for the year.The Directors then proceeded to Embu Zone where they visited Ndunduri estate next to the zonal offices. The Chairperson commended the all-female management team in Embu Zone.
They also visited the bamboo plantation in the riparian areas and were impressed by the ongoing plucking basket project in the zone.
At Gatitu, the Directors were taken on a tour of the factory building which is 98% complete. It was projected that the factory would be commissioned for tea processing early in the next financial year.
In her closing remarks after the tour, Board Chairperson Prof. Elizabeth Pantoren expressed her appreciation of the milestones so far achieved by the Corporation since its inception. The Board planted trees at the Gatitu factory site to commemorate the field visit.