Kirinyaga coffee farmers trained to boost production, income

Farmers on a coffee farm in Murang'a county

During a coffee field day organised by Baragwi Coffee Cooperative Society on Wednesday, farmers had a chance to interact with coffee experts, agronomists and various players in the cash crop value chain.

Baragwi is one of the largest coffee cooperatives in the country and last year it sold more than 11 million kilogrammes of coffee worth more than Sh1.6 billion. 

Cooperative manager Cyrus Chomba said the field day was organised with the aim of raising the quantity and quality of coffee produced and they are targeting to ensure more than 80 per cent of the production is premium grade A.

“We’re investing in training farmers because higher coffee grades fetch more money at the auction,” he said.

The society has dispatched extension officers across the 12 coffee factories to reach as many farmers as possible.

Chomba said farmers received a high coffee cherry payout of Sh145 per kilogramme, and the co-operative is now targeting to sell over 20 million kilos this year.

James Githae, an official from Coffee Research Institute urged farmers to plant new coffee bushes and upgrade to varieties that are resistant to diseases such as the coffee berry disease.

“We are training farmers on planting, pruning and use of the best pesticides. As an institution, we continue to carry out research that will improve production of coffee in the country,” he said.

County cooperatives executive Calbert Njeru raised the alarm over influx of fake pesticides sold to coffee farmers, compromising their harvests.

Njeru urged farmers to seek advice of extension officers on pesticides that have been approved by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service and the Pest Control Products Board.

Kirinyaga East deputy county commissioner James Maina assured farmers that security will be beefed up in all factories to curb theft of coffee in the area.

The county is leading in coffee production in the country with about 46,000 acres under the crop and 120,000 smallholder farmers who contribute about 17 per cent of the national production.

In 2024, the county sold about 8.9 million kilogrammes of cherry, raking in Sh5 billion for farmers.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

Baragwi is one of the largest coffee co-operatives in the country and last year it sold more than 11 million kilos of coffee worth over Sh1.6 billion. The society has dispatched extension officers across the 12 coffee factories to reach as many farmers as possible. The county is leading in coffee production in the country with about 46,000 acres under the crop and 120,000 smallholder farmers who contribute about 17 per cent of the national production.