• Waiguru said it's unfair that farmers sell their harvests without knowing how much they will earn.
• The county produces an average of 30,000 tonnes annually, an amount the governor said can be improved.
Image: Alice Waithera
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has urged the government to put in place measures that would guarantee better coffee prices for farmers.
She said farmers in the region have for a long time suffered in the hands of middlemen. Waiguru called for the establishment of a "stabilisation fund" to cushion farmers from fluctuating prices caused by prevailing international market rates.
The county boss spoke on Friday during a meeting with representatives of coffee cooperative societies. The county produces an average of 30,000 tonnes annually, an amount the governor said can be improved.
She termed it unfair for farmers to sell their harvests without knowing how much it will earn them. This exposes them to exploitation by unscrupulous middlemen and their predicament is aggravated by the lack of a direct market, the county chief said.
Kirinyaga has 44,969 acres under coffee, with 67,578 farmers. The farmers have not been able to negotiate for better prices. In view of this, Waiguru called for speedy implementation of coffee sector reforms, which will enable farmers to benefit from the Sh3 billion Cherry Advance Revolving Fund.
"We are looking forward to the implementation of the President’s directives on coffee sector recovery and the rollout of Cherry Advance Revolving Fund,” she said.
With the reforms, farmers will be able to access finances to facilitate better farming practices. They will also be in a position to get advance payment for their delivered cherry. Currently, they have to wait for months to receive their dues after delivering their cherries.
Waiguru said the sector has the potential to adequately support many farmers if challenges crippling it are fixed. She said failure by coffee organisations to access international markets directly, delayed payments to farmers and high costs of farm inputs limit returns.
Waiguru sought to assure the cooperatives that her administration will work with the national government to address some of the challenges.
“We will work towards supporting farmers to access direct markets for their produce with guaranteed prices and building the capacity of extension service providers and farmers to increase production,” she said.
She emphasised the need for research and adoption of technology in coffee production, as well as the improvement of efficiency of cooperatives.
She said the county government is committed to supporting value addition to ease farmers quest to access the market directly. She cited Mwirua Coffee Cooperative Society that has been provided with value addition equipment and added that such initiatives will promote a coffee-drinking culture among residents.
(Edited by F'Orieny)