Principal Secretary for Cooperatives Patrick Kilemi speaking to farmers at Ihura Stadium in Murang’a./KNA
The government has allocated Sh500 million in the supplementary budget to facilitate propagation and distribution of coffee seedlings to farmers.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Cooperatives Patrick Kilemi said the programme aims to increase production with 20 million coffee seedlings earmarked for distribution to farmers across all coffee-growing regions annually.
Kilemi, speaking in Murang’a, where he met coffee farmers on Friday, noted theCoffee Research Institute (CRI) and New KPCU will be entrusted with the responsibility of propagating the seedlings of high-yielding coffee varieties.
He stated that coffee production in the country is still low as compared to other neighbouring coffee producing nations.
“Last year, Kenya produced 50,000 metric tons, while Uganda produced 400,000 metric tons and Ethiopia produced 750 metric tons of coffee.
“We want our farmers to plant recommended coffee seedlings as we target to increase our production by more than ten times. Properly planted and well-nurtured coffee can produce more than 40 kilos per bush,” said Kilemi at Ihura stadium.
Old coffee bushes, the PS said, are to blame for low production, saying a coffee bush can only be properly productive for a period of 20 years.
He noted that the government has revitalized the coffee sector and farmers have been receiving lucrative prices for their coffee.
“The reforms the government is implementing in the coffee sector are bearing fruit. We managed to remove cartels at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange as we separated licensing of millers, buyers, and brokers,” he added.
To increase production of coffee, Kilemi averred that the government is also streamlining distribution of subsidized fertilizer to farmers.
He remarked that the New KPCU has been mandated to source fertilizer from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) and take it to coffee factories where farmers can access it easily.
“The New KPCU has also been mandated to distribute chemicals that the government has subsidized at about 40 percent so as to control diseases and pests that affect coffee production,” noted the PS.
He said revitalization of coffee will greatly contribute to the country’s GDP, observing that the average price of a kilo of coffee in some areas currently is more than Sh100.
“Worldwide, coffee is number two after oil. The value of coffee trade in the world is estimated to be around 600 billion US Dollars. Kenya in 2023 got Sh33 billion from coffee. Well-natured and managed coffee can see returns from the cherry surpass income realized from tea,” stated the PS.
The government, Kilemi observed, targets to generate Sh1 trillion from coffee in the near future, saying the returns can only be achieved by cooperation with farmers for increased coffee production and attaining the required cherry quality.
Meanwhile, the PS said the government is working to replace aging pulping equipment in all coffee factories with modern machines.
He noted that the old machines have caused farmers to incur losses and also interfered with coffee quality.
The PS further announced that the government has factored Sh6.8 billion into the budget to clear coffee debts, saying this will see an increment in farmers’ income.
“After verification of accrued coffee debts by societies, it was established the needed amount is Sh6.8 billion, which has been factored into the next financial budget. By August the debts will be cleared, and farmers will be relieved from the financial burden,” remarked Kilemi.
On his part, Murang’a governor Irungu Kang’ata said his administration will set aside some funds in the next financial year to support farmers.
The funds, he said, will facilitate farmers to increase production, saying from next month, a team from the county government will tour the USA and China to search for a market for Murang’a coffee.
“We are delighted as coffee factories in Murang’a this year have paid farmers at average of Sh. 115 per kilo. This is a landmark payment,” said Kang’ata.
He added that some factories, like Wanjengi, paid Sh141; Kahuhia main Sh.122, Ngwethe Sh120; Kaganda, Sh119; and Mutheru, Sh116 per kilo.
“In the recent past, a kilo of coffee was being paid at Sh20, and we laud the government for revamping the coffee sector, which will ensure farmers have more income,” he added.
The governor said his administration has taken various measures to support coffee farming in the county, noting that already they have trained cooperative leaders.
Farmers led by Francis Ngone asked the government to drop the Direct Settlement System (DSS), saying the move will affect operations of cooperative societies.
DSS, Ngone said, should be done away with, and farmers should continue receiving their payments from their factories.
“The government needs to reconsider DSS; farmers deliver their coffee to factories, and being paid directly will see factories fail in their operations,” he added.
