I built my castle from coffee profits

James Kariuki at one of his coffee farms in Kibugu area of Embu County. He attains highs of 100kgs from a single stem of his well-tended coffee. (Joseph Muchiri, Standard)

When James Kariuki speaks during farmers’ field days, many cast their doubt when he claims he harvests 100kgs of coffee from a single stem. But a visit to his farm verifies his claim.

Kariuki is a prominent farmer in the coffee growing belt of Kibugu, Embu County, where his mastery in coffee farming has earned him fortune and fame.

From the proceeds of hard and smart work, Kariuki has since bought two different parcels of land, is building house and is shopping for a car, among other achievements from his coffee cash.

Owing to his prowess in coffee production, Kariuki has teamed up with 14 other farmers to form the Mt Kenya Organic Coffee Farmers group, which works closely with the Coffee Research Foundation and agronomists aiming to help members realise high productivity in their farms. They have coffee nurseries and a demonstration farm with 14 coffee varieties where they train farmers every Monday.

Good coffee husbandry matters, right from tending to the seedlings, to choosing the best variety for a certain agronomical zone to managing coffee to produce astoundingly well.

Thanks to his mastery of coffee growing, Kariuki hosts farmers in his farm every Monday, sharing with them his knowledge.

Maximising yields

“Believe me when I tell you coffee is gold. Look at all the money-minting possibilities that it has brought on my farm,” he starts off.

The secret to maximising output from his coffee lies in managing it well, he shares. Kariuki practices single stem system of coffee growing as opposed to in the past when farmers would allow two stems per a tree.

“Farmers know how to fertilise and take care of their coffee properly. Unfortunately, they do not know that a single coffee tree’s tap root cannot adequately feed two stems to produce to the maximum. With two stems, there is competition for nutrients resulting to lower production,” he says.

He allows 50 branches in a stem. Each branch has an average of 30 nodes while the node of a well fed stem carries 30 berries.

“Ideally from a single stem, a farmer can harvest 45,000 berries which translates to about 150kgs (300 berries make a kilogramme). Considering other factors that may limit such production, a farmer can thus get 100kgs,” he says. Kariuki’s five-year-old stems maintained in single-stem system yields even 45 berries per node since branches carry more berries as they grow.

“The reason I say coffee is gold is because a stem gives me an average of 100kgs, which I sell at Sh10,000. The cost of production is about Sh1,000 giving me a profit of Sh9,000 every year,” he says.

But to achieve such production, the coffee has to be managed in the best way, right from planting. Kariuki explains that after choosing a variety that suits an area, either hybrids of Batian, Ruiru or SL, he begins by digging holes measuring 3X2ft and observing spacing of 9X9ft. He then places dry leaves on the bottom of hole to a layer of about six inches. This ensures the base is soft enough for the coffee roots to penetrate.

He then adds top soil until only six inches of the hole remains uncovered. Next, he adds manure mixed with top soil up to the top of the hole. He waits until it rains and plants seedlings.

“Since at that stage the young plant cannot feed with the roots, you apply foliar feeds. Spray for the first time after 14 days, then 21 days, then 28 days and then after every month. After a year, your coffee should be flowering,” he explains.

Muriuki follows a spraying programme that starts in September when he controls bacterial blight, November- leaf rust, February - bacterial blight and from March to June coffee berry diseases.