The government through the Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development, has given out 400,000 free coffee robusta seedlings to boost coffee farming and production in Busia County.
Speaking during a farmers sensitization forum on coffee farming revival at Busia ATC, the Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya said the move will encourage more farmers to venture into coffee farming and restore the country’s former glory in coffee production.
“This year we are giving out free seedlings to our farmers so as to increase the production of coffee in this county. Today we have 400,000 robusta coffee seedlings that farmers in this county will receive through their cooperatives. We are also going to ensure that you get fertilizer at an affordable price through your cooperatives together with the right pesticides. These are some of the measures that will see the production of coffee go high and in turn change the lives of our farmers,’ he said.
Oparanya noted that Kenya was a leading country in coffee production since 1963, but the production took a downward trend during the early 1990 s.
‘Currently Ethiopia is the leading coffee producing country in Africa with approximately 400,000 metric tons, Uganda is now number two,” he said, blaming poor management of farmer cooperatives and unscrupulous brokers within the coffee sector.
He stated that the government has come up with new laws to ensure that there is proper management within the coffee sector.
‘I want to encourage you to embrace coffee farming because it is our gold,’ he said, adding the government is ready to support farmers.
The CS further said that last year alone, the country produced 51,000 metric tons of coffee against Ethiopia’s over 400,000 metric tons.
‘Our neighboring country of Uganda produced over 200,000 tons and Tanzania 70,000 tons,” he said.
He at the same time said that within Western Kenya region, Busia County produced 39,580 kgs of coffee, Bungoma 2,362,630 kgs, Kakamega 33,470 kgs, Vihiga 6,600 and Siaya 1500 kg during the 2023/2024 financial year.
Oparanya further said that there are 33 counties that practice coffee farming within the country and the government is committed to establish coffee milling plants in each of them.
‘Through the support of KPCU, the government will establish a coffee milling plant,’ he said adding that the existing coffee bill will ensure that farmers get their rightful pay.
Oparanya also said that farmers will be paid within five days instead of waiting for three months adding that the payment will be carried out in dollar currency.
He further advised farmers to embrace good crop husbandry in order to harvest as high as 50 kg per coffee plant.
The CS also said that two youth from each of the 35 wards in Busia County will be trained by KPCU on coffee husbandry after which they will guide farmers on good practices in growing their coffee.
He assured the local farmers of a ready market through KPCU that will transport the produce to the Nairobi stock exchange.
‘The government has set aside Sh8 billion as cherry fund to assist small scale farmers with advance payment at the rate of Sh40 per kg delivered to the coffee mill before the coffee is auctioned.
He urged the county government to avail at least 100 acres of land that can be set up for the coffee research institute so that robusta coffee research can be done in the county.
“We want the county government to look for 100 acres of land to be a demonstration farm and we will give money to start a research institute. We want the robusta coffee headquarters in the country to be in Busia,’ he said.
Busia County Deputy Governor Arthur Odera confirmed that the county has enough land that can be used to construct a coffee research center
“The county government has land which a coffee research institute can be set up at and set up a coffee nursery for Busia County to be supplier of the seedlings in the entire region of western. We have four options and we are ready to receive the technical team to do assessment and decide where the project can be done”, he said.
He also said that the county has 35 cooperatives and saccos which need a lot of capacity building, urging farmers to plant coffee to benefit more.
“We have 2500 coffee farmers who are farming 600 acres. We have seen our production going down from 89 tons to 33 tons. We need to encourage our farmers that coffee farming is profitable”
Busia Robusta Coffee Growers chairman Leonard Murai lauded the government for the initiative adding that the seedlings are going to improve the production of coffee in the county
“Robusta farmers have struggled for a long time. The world market of this type of coffee is high at the moment. One tree of this coffee can give you more than 60 kg and 1 acre can have 500 plants. These seedlings are going to improve our coffee production and with the current market price, our farmers are going to benefit.
Murai said the coffee price has been increasing compared to when they started, calling on the government to continue supporting them.
“In 2015 we were selling a kilogram at Sh25 then moved to Sh50 but today we are selling at Sh120. We want all our farmers to come out and register so that we can have many farmers. We are the only county with a robusta coffee nursery in the country,’ he said.”
Silas Manyasa, a coffee farmer said brokers were the cause of decline in the coffee farming in the county. He said that the issuance of the free seedlings will help to revive the coffee farming in the county as many farmers will engage in the farming.
Jackline Wanzala, another farmer said she started coffee farming in 2017 and currently has 50 plants.
She said that they have been given direction on how to sell their coffee eliminating brokers from coffee farming.
By Salome Alwanda and Rodgers Omondi
