Coffee farmers to get Sh110 per kg of cherry this year, DP says

Farmers sort out coffee berries. [File, Standard]

Coffee farmers are bound to get double the returns they have been getting this year, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki says.

Prof Kindiki said the government has made key interventions to ensure farmers get improved production and increased returns.

The Deputy President said the estimated projection is at Sh110 per kilogramme of cherry this year, which is almost double what farmers received when the Kenya Kwanza administration took over in 2022.

The DP says the rise has been occasioned by wide-ranging reforms and interventions instituted by the government that have helped in streamlining the sub-sector and eliminating the perennial bottlenecks that are frustrating farmers.

On Thursday, the DP hosted members of the National Assembly Coffee Caucus at his official residence in Karen for consultations on consolidating the reforms and sharing ideas on what more needs to be done to improve earnings.

"We have to make sure coffee farmers earn more, and coffee brings more foreign exchange as it used to. The Kenya Kwanza manifesto requires us to increase incomes and value for our farmers and other players in the value chain. We are implementing the manifesto to ensure the Guaranteed Minimum Returns of Sh100 per kg of cherry," said Kindiki.

The DP called for the fast-tracking of the Coffee Bill 2023 and the Cooperatives Bill 2024, which are before the Senate after the National Assembly approved them, saying they are at the centre of the success of the efforts to further better the coffee value chain.

"The Bills must be finalised as soon as possible because they are at the centre of the reforms. We encourage the Senate to process the Bills that will unlock the coffee reforms package," he noted.

The DP also said the government, through various respective agencies and in collaboration with the county governments, will ensure availability of quality seedlings and appropriate fertilizers at the nearest place and on time.

"Last mile distribution of subsidised fertiliser for coffee farmers is critical because we have seen the impact the fertiliser has had in other sectors like sugarcane and maize where production has shot up tremendously," he said.

Waiving mounting debt accrued by cooperatives, modernisation of factories, minimising losses along the production chain, and promotion of Kenyan coffee in new global markets is also on top of the government's agenda, Kindiki says.