Co-operatives and MSME Development Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui said the additional KSh 4 billion will be significant in improving productivity and the market. What are the new coffee prices? The allocation increased the kitty amount to KSh 6.7 billion, following an earlier release of KSh 3 billion. Coffee farmers can now sell their produce at KSh 80 per kilogram, up from KSh 20. “We have brought together stakeholders in the sector, farmers, regulators, legislators, and experts to chat ways to create a market and improve productivity for our farmers,” said Chelugui. What are the new coffee markets for Kenyans? In October 2023, Deputy President Reigathi Gachagua said coffee farmers will no longer rely on middlemen but sell directly to markets like the US and Germany. Gachagua presided over the signing of a deal between Kenya and the Java Coffee Company in Rotselaar, Belgium, which will see at least 700 tonnes exported at the start. “It is a monumental outcome of our coffee reforms, with our farmers guaranteed better returns without brokers and middlemen in the supply chain,” said Gachagua. He noted that Belgium – Europe’s third-largest importer of green coffee after Germany and Italy – will form a significant market for Kenyan coffee. Gachagua vowed to tackle cartels plaguing the coffee sub-sector, comparing them to ticks-draining farmers. The second in command remained determined to bring reforms to the agriculture sector, citing success in combating cartels in the milk sector.
BY Wycliffe Musalia