Thiriku Coffee Growers Cooperative Society management on Friday announced last season’s coffee payment rate of Sh130 per kilo, the highest ever.
This is the highest coffee rate the society’s farmers have ever received and so far the highest released by any coffee society in Nyeri.
Chairman Cyrus Waiganjo said farmers will pocket Sh110 while the other Sh20 will be used in the running of the society and settlement of debts.
Announcing the rate during the society’s special general meeting at Thiriku Coffee Factory in Tetu, on Friday, Waiganjo said production for this year also doubled.
It rose to 304,887 kilos of cherry compared to last year’s 174 000 kilos.
Farmers were motivated and put more effort in farming thus doubling production after receiving Sh 100 per kilo last year.
“This increase in production is definitely related to the payment that was done last year of Sh 100 per kilo," Waiganjo said.
"There is an improvement to Sh 110 per kilo. So with this payment, we expect even greater improvement.”
The chairman said he was upbeat that farmers will work hard to beat their target of harvesting over 500,000 kilos.
He said the society has already started educating farmers on proper coffee management and husbandry.
Farmers will also be provided with cost effective farm inputs and encouraged to take care of the crop as advised by experts.
“We sell our coffee directly to a company in the Netherlands called Trabocca who has been engaging with us," he said.
"They noted right from the beginning that even with low production, there was a lot of transparency in our operations.”
The buyer has promised to stick with the society according to Waiganjo.
The chairman also added that the society recorded the highest quality ever.
The society has 2,500 members with 1,900 of them being active according to Peter Ndirangu, the society manager.
“This is a figure which had gradually gone down due to poor prices of coffee but now our farmers have started coming back because of the improved earnings,” he said.
Ndirangu said the average production of coffee per bush was 0.9 kilos but has now improved to 3 kilos per bush and is targeting to hit 10 kilos per tree in three years.
John Gitonga, a farmer, said he was happy with the rate which he termed as motivating and expressed hope that they will earn more by improving on quantity and maintaining the good quality.
Muthoni Kagiri said for a long time, they had been earning Sh30 per kilo and that they were elated for the high earnings.
Gathoni Ndung’u thanked the management and called on farmers to improve on production so that they can earn more.
(Edited by Francis Wadegu)
