Government allocates Sh500m for propagation and distribution of coffee seedlings

BERNARD MUNYAO AND PURITY MUGO-KNA

The Government has allocated Sh500 million in the supplementary budget to fa cilitate propagation and distribution of coffee seedlings to farmers.

The Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Depart ment for Co-operatives Mr. Patrick Kilemi said the programme aims to increase production with 20 million coffee seed lings earmarked for distribution of farmers across all coffee growing regions annually.

Kilemi, speaking in Murang’a where he met coffee farmers noted that the Coffee Research Institute (CRI) and New KPCU will be entrusted with the responsibility of propagating the seedlings of high yielding coffee varieties.

He stated that coffee production in the country is still low as compared to other neighbouring coffee producing nations.

“Last year, Kenya produced 50,000 metric tons while Uganda produced 400,000 metric tons and Ethiopia produced 750 metric tons of coffee.

“We want our farmers to plant recommended coffee seedlings as we target to increase our production by more than ten times. Properly planted and well nurtured coffee can pro duce more than 40 kilos per bush,” Kilemi said at Ihura Stadium.

Old coffee bushes, the PS said, are to blame for low production saying a coffee bush can only be properly productive for a period of 20 years. He noted that the government has revitalized the coffee sector and farmers have been receiving lucrative prices from their coffee.

“The reforms the government is implementing in the coffee sector are bearing fruits. We man aged to remove cartels at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange as we separated li censing of millers, buyers and brokers,” he added.

To increase production of coffee, Kilemi averred that the government is also streamlining distribution of subsidized fertilizer to farmers.

He said the New KPCU has been mandated to source fertilizer from National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) and take it to coffee factories where farmers can access it easily. 

“The New KPCU has also been mandated to distribute chemicals which the government has subsidized at about 40 per cent so as to control diseases and pests that affect coffee production,” the PS noted.

He said revitalization of coffee will greatly con tribute to the country’s GDP observing that the average price of a kilo of coffee in some areas currently is more than Sh100.

“Worldwide, coffee is number two after oil. T he value of coffee trade in the world is estimated to be around $600 billion. Kenya in 2023 got Sh33 billion from coffee. Well-natured and man aged coffee can see re turns from the cherry surpass income realized from tea,” the PS stated.

The government, Kilemi observed, targets to generate Sh1 trillion from coffee in the near future saying the returns can only be achieved by cooperation with farmers for increased coffee production and attaining the re quired cherry quality.

Meanwhile the PS said the government is working to replace aging pulping equipment in all coffee factories with modern machines. He noted that the old machines have occasioned farmers to incur losses and also interfered with coffee quality.

The PS further announced that the government has factored Sh6.8 billion in the budget to clear coffee debts saying this will see an increment of farmers’ income.

“After verification of accrued coffee debts by societies, it was established the needed amount is Sh6.8 billion which has been factored in the next financial budget. By August the debts will be cleared and farmers will be relieved from the financial burden,” Kilemi remarked.

On his part, Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata said his administration will set aside some funds in the next financial year to sup port farmers. The funds, he said, will facilitate farmers to in crease production, saying from next month, a team from the county govern ment will tour the USA and China to search for a market for Murang’a coffee.

“We are delighted as coffee factories in Murang’a this year have paid farmers at average of Sh115 per kilo. This is a landmark pay ment,” Kang’ata said.