Governors want big share of coffee research billions

A coffee farmer in Nyeri. FILE PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI |

What you need to know:

  • County bosses say proposal is aimed at reviving the ailing sector.
  • There are plans to ease levy burden on farmers, says Gachagua.

Governors are pushing for control of the billions of shillings paid by coffee farmers for research in a drive to revive the ailing sector.

The Council of Governors wants four out of the six per cent paid as levies to go to counties, with the remaining two per cent paid to other coffee agencies.

The county bosses are proposing that a levy paid to the Coffee Research Foundation be used to set up a coffee development fund, instead. Farmers would then borrow from the fund to buy inputs.

The chairman of the council’s Committee on Agriculture and Lands, Mr Nderitu Gachagua, met Agriculture ministry officials in Nairobi on Thursday to discuss the radical proposals.

Mr Gachagua suggested that three per cent of the levies be left at the county level; one per cent for the improvement of roads in coffee-growing areas; one per cent for the development fund; and one per cent for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority.

“The money paid as a research levy should be used to set up a coffee development fund, from which farmers can borrow cash for buying inputs,” said Mr Gachagua, who is also the governor for Nyeri.

Mr Gachagua said there are plans to ease the levy burden on farmers in all the coffee-growing zones in the country.

REFORMS

At the same time, the Nyeri county government wants to be in control of coffee milling and marketing.

A meeting between Mr Gachagua and representatives of coffee farmers held at the Wambugu Agricultural Training Centre on Wednesday approved plans by the regional government to come up with reforms targeting the milling and marketing of Nyeri coffee.

The reforms are expected to set the minimum deductions that can be made by coffee societies from farmers, and provide guidelines in the issuing of milling and marketing licences to interested companies.

“If you want to get a licence to mill and market coffee in Nyeri, you have to meet certain conditions, which we are working on,” said the governor.

At the same time, the Trans Nzoia county government said it is committed to boosting coffee production in the region in a bid to cushion farmers from dwindling maize prices.

Farmers in Kitale said the price of maize had been destabilised owing to flooding of the market with cheap grain from Uganda.

Trans Nzoia Governor Patrick Khaemba said his administration had set up a fund to ensure enough coffee seedlings are available to farmers who want to venture into the sector.

The growers will buy the seedlings at subsidised prices.

Mr Khaemba said studies had shown that the region’s soils are ideal for the Batian and Ruiru 11 coffee varieties, which are highly resistant to diseases.

“We want to have more farmers venture into coffee farming,” he said.

Additional reporting by Philip Bwayo