Farmers reject Oparanya's directive on coffee payment

Farmers sort out coffee berries. [File, Standard]

A leading coffee society in Murang’a has rejected Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya’s directive on coffee payments to the growers.

The farmers at Gatagua Cooperative Society rejected the directive seeking to have them receive their proceeds directly from the Direct Settlement System (DSS) after the auction of coffee.

The farmers, led by their chairman Nahason Chege, said the CS directed the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) to ensure that coffee proceeds starting January 2025 are remitted directly to the growers accounts.

In the farmers AGM, on Friday, they said that Oparanya’s decision will not address the concerns experienced in the management of the societies.

A farmer James Irungu said the CS could have started with supporting the growers with inputs.

“The directive ought to have assisted the growers with support to nurture their coffee, instead of only coming to direct on payment,” said Irungu.

Susan Wangechi proposed that the growers should allow them to market their produce as some have neglected the same.

“The government has abandoned the coffee farmers as no inputs are channelled to the sector,” she said.

Chege said farmers have rejected the directive to submit their details to NCE and instead want payment made in the societies.

“The government in the last three years has failed to provide subsidized fertiliser to the farmers, and why is there an urgency in affecting the payment through the DSS,” he said.

He argued that channeling the payment through DSS will sabotage the cooperative movement.

The spirit of the cooperative will die because farmers will see this as an avenue where their rights are denied because when it comes to payment they don't have a say," said the chairman of the society

Chege said instead of the government imposing new directives, it should focus on reolving the challenges affecting operations.

"If they want to help us as coffee farmers, they should first pay the extension officers so they can come and educate us on ways to do better lucrative farming and generate more revenue," he said.

In Nyeri and Kiambu, the farmers have complained that their production has declined due to lack of inputs.