• They said early last year they received Sh70 per kilo.
• They said the factory, which used to produce more than one million kilos of coffee during its heydays, is now run down.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Coffee farmers in Gatundu South, Kiambu county, have threatened to uproot their coffee bushes, citing poor pay.
The farmers who deliver their produce to Kigaa coffee factory said despite toiling, they have been promised only Sh42 per kilo of their produce. They have yet to receive a dime.
They said early last year they received Sh70 per kilo.
The farmers were speaking on Tuesday during a meeting at the factory, which they said is on its deathbed.
Farmer Kiramba Muchai said the factory, which used to produce more than one million kilos of coffee during its heydays, is now run down. Coffee beds, dehusking machines and stores are dilapidated.
“Right now, the factory sells about 80,000 kilogrammes of coffee per year and this has hurt farmers income,” farmer Veronica Wambui said.
She claimed that mismanagement of the sector has given brokers and other cartels a leeway to exploit farmers. She said they have been taking advantage of the situation to buy coffee at throwaway prices.
“This is why most of us are still languishing in poverty. The coffee that we educated our children with has become a nightmare to us because despite working tirelessly on our farms, we end up getting meagre pay and sometimes we get nothing," Wambui said.
"Our children have declined to take over the farms because of the tribulations we have undergone.”
Farmer Irene Wambui said coffee production has declined drastically due to lack of sufficient farm inputs such as fertiliser and pesticides.
“We have been facing an uphill task in accessing fertiliser and other chemicals to boost our production. Something must be done because if the current situation remains unchecked, coffee farming will remain history in this region,” she said.
The farmers urged the government to intervene and save the factory from collapse and support the farmers.
“We’ve heard that the government has an elaborate plan to revive the ailing coffee sector in this region. They should start with Kigaa. We need proper management, good markets that will in turn raise coffee prices and dismantling of cartels who have been swimming in riches derived from the farmers’ sweat,” farmer John Chege said.
Efforts to get a comment from the management were unsuccessful as the officials' phone calls went unanswered.
Earlier this month, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua led a three-day coffee summit in Meru to discuss the troubles in the subsector and the role of cooperatives in reviving the multibillion-shilling industry.