Ten governors from the Central Region Economic Bloc have urged the government to gazette recent coffee regulations.
Bloc chairman Francis Kimemia said the gazettement will remove barriers that hinder coffee farmers from reaping maximum profits from the cash crop.
Under the 2018 regulations, the entire marketing system is supposed to be restructured to favour the grower.
The rules prohibit traders involved in the coffee business from holding multiple licenses, which most multinationals have been using to exploit poor farmers.
“The gazettement will be a boost to the region which prides itself on coffee and tea as the main economic crops,” Kimemia said.
The governors spoke in Nakuru during a consultative meeting and the signing of the regional economic bloc agreement.
Governors Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri), Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), Ferdinand Waititu (Kiambu) and Ndiritu Muriithi (Laikipia) said they will embark on joint implementation of projects and programmes.
In March 2016, Uhuru set up a task force to investigate reasons for the continued losses in Kenya’s coffee industry.
The 19-member National Task Force on Coffee Sub-Sector Reforms was to identify areas of needed interventions in the production, processing and marketing of coffee.
The committee was formed after rampant wrangles, cases of theft and low prices fetched affected the sector.
The team was expected to give recommendations on how to make the cash crop profitable again.
“We call on the ministries of Agriculture and Finance to ensure they gazette the recent coffee regulations,” Kimemia said.
According to Kimemia, the meeting saw the governors discuss enhancement of agriculture which is also the backbone of their economic bloc.
Other than coffee, other central region cash crops are tea and pyrethrum among others. The governors agreed to boost the sector.
The governors appealed to leaders from central to keep off 2022 politics but rather focus on the Big Four agenda of the government.
“We appeal to our leaders in the region to reduce the political temperatures and focus on development agenda and service delivery,” Kimemia said.
Members of the bloc agreed to ensure speedy implementation of county projects which will act as stimulators of development within the region.
(edited by O. Owino)
