CS urges Kakamega farmers to grow coffee for better livelihoods

MELECHEZEDECK EJAKAIT-KNA

Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya has urged farmers in Kakamega County to embrace coffee farming to transform their livelihoods. 

Oparanya made the rallying call when he led several lawmakers from the county in a coffee farming and agronomy sensitization forum at Kongoni in Likuyani Constituency. 

He said that most farmers in Central Kenya are economically empowered be cause they sell their farm produce through cooperative societies, and Kakamega farmers should emulate them for better incomes. 

The CS stated that his ministry, along with other stakeholders, was undertaking a series of sensitization campaigns across the country to encourage more farmers to embrace coffee farming and uplift their livelihoods.

“Coffee is going to be a game-changer for our people. I’m not saying you should stop growing maize, but if you have an acre of land, you can grow maize on one half and coffee on the other half. You will start earning from it af ter two years, yet you still need food,” he said.

“However, once you start earning from coffee, you can abandon maize farming because you will have enough money to buy and stock maize. We want more individuals to join coffee farm ing, and those already growing coffee should reap more from their farms,” he added. 

“Last year, Kenya sold only 51,000 tonnes of coffee while Uganda sold 700,000 tonnes yet several years ago Kenya was the leading coffee producer in Africa. Twenty years ago, we were in position one. 

“However, currently Ethiopia leads followed by Uganda. These countries have overtaken us because we did not have adequate knowledge on coffee farming and there were no proper cooperative societies to unite farmers,” Oparanya noted.