Sh3m coffee seedling nursery launched

Kirinyaga County Government commissioned a Sh3 million seedling nursery at Kiangundu Coffee Factory.

Commissioning the nursery, Governor Joseph Ndathi said farmers will no longer waste time and money going for certified seedlings at Coffee Research Foundation, Ruiru as they will now be available within the county.

“We have selected Kiangundu Coffee Factory to be where farmers can access varieties of Ruiru Grafted, Ruiru 11 and Batian which are high yielding and disease resistant,’’ he said.

He said farmers were also being encouraged to have a change of cycle to get rid of the old variety which they planted more than three decades ago.

“Now that we have the emerging coffee varieties which are high yielding and disease resistant, it would only be proper for our farmers to start replacing the old traditional coffee variety if they expect to rip maximums benefits from the crop,’’ Ndathi said.

The nursery will be managed by Mutira Coffee Cooperative Society and will supply the certified coffee seedlings to other societies in the area as well as individual farmers.

He said the county produces high quality coffee but production had nosedived over the years because of middlemen and brokers.

Ndathi said stringent measures have been put in place to protect the farmers from any further exploitation.

‘’We would want to see our farmers cultivating the crop, milling by themselves and also marketing the commodity through the guidance of our county experts,’’ he said.