New coffee variety in the offing

The Coffee Research Foundation (CRF) is preparing to release a new coffee variety that could end the shortage of seedlings in Kenya.

According to the CRF deputy director of research Mr Chrispine Omondi, the new variety has a combination of the characteristics of Ruiru II and SL varieties, since it is tall and disease resistant.

Officials from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) and CRF will this week visit selected farmers who have been growing the variety on a trial basis in Machakos, Meru and Western Kenya, to see how it has been doing.

Tests

Tests for distinctiveness, uniformity and stability, which are crucial for the registration of the new variety by Kephis are more than 80 per cent complete.

Its release is only awaiting the adaptation trails, which are at an advanced stage, Mr Omondi said.

He added that it has been difficult to propagate the Ruiru II variety, since it is a hybrid.

“We are giving the new variety only two seasons and if we are convinced that it is perfect we will release it to farmers,” he said.

Following the revival of the coffee sub-sector five years ago, the country has been experiencing an increased demand for coffee seedlings.

During a week long workshop of coffee industry stakeholders in Nyeri last week, Mr Omondi assured stakeholders that the CRF had been able to develop about 500 million coffee seedlings of the Ruiru 11 and SL varieties over the last three years, which he said were enough to stem the current shortage.

“We are now asking coffee farmers to come for seedlings because we have developed more than enough seedlings,” he said.

Under the Quality Coffee Production and Commercial Programme, which was started in October last year, the CRF has been able to upgrade its laboratories and nurseries.

Mr Omondi said the second phase of the Sh500 million programme will include the establishment of regional quality laboratories for coffee cupping.

The research body is seeking to improve research support to farmers particularly on soil analysis.