Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has discouraged coffee farmers in Central Kenya from subdividing their coffee plantations into smaller, uneconomical parcels that could further hurt the productivity of the land in the region.

Instead, Kagwe told the farmers to hand down their coffee plantations as single family entities to ensure that they maximise the returns from coffee farming. The cabinet secretary noted that the older generation of farmers fragments their plantations into smaller units that result in reduced yields and lower returns.

Coffee and tea are Kenya’s leading exports and account for more than half of the value of the country’s exports. Kenya earned Ksh38.4 billion (U$296.8 million) from coffee exports in 2024, compared to $251 million in the previous year. The ministry of agriculture data show the bulk of shipments occurred in the second and third quarters, totalling 15,903 tonnes and 17,017 tonnes, respectively.

“This idea of sub-dividing our coffee or tea plantations to tiny parcels will mess up the industry. There is a limit as to how much we can subdivide land. That is why I am appealing to farmers, especially those with smaller coffee plantations to consider these farms as a family business so that when leaving an inheritance, the plantation is handed over to your offspring as a unit and they can share the returns from the sale of cherry amongst themselves,” Kagwe said.

The minister, in the meantime, advised the older generation of farmers to start grooming the youth to join the agriculture sector. He lamented that only 10 per cent of Kenyan youth are engaged in agriculture with many of them citing lack of mentorship, unattractiveness of the sector, lack access to capital and land as their biggest impediments.

“Let us be futuristic and bravely introduce the youth into agriculture so that they can take over,” said Kagwe.

The minister spoke in Othaya, Nyeri county while on a tour at the Gachatha coffee factory where he lauded the directors for transparency in the management of the 62-year-old coffee cooperative society.         This year, the over 1,500 farmers affiliated to the coffee cooperative earned bonuses at a rate of Ksh150 for every kilo of cherry delivered to the factory.

Similarly, Kagwe told directors of coffee societies in the country to be transparent in their leadership. While pointing out infighting and corruption as major causes of the near collapse of the coffee sector, Kagwe said that going forward, cooperative directors must involve farmers in decision-making, including how the cooperative spends earnings from the sale of coffee.

“Farmers have a right to know how their money is being spent by the cooperative. I urge directors and managers of farmers’ cooperatives to show complete transparency in coffee management. What we are looking for in this country is complete transparency because there must be a link between the price of coffee in the international market and the bonus earned by the farmer. There must be a relationship,” he said.

Kagwe reassured farmers that his ministry is on course to revitalize the coffee sub-sector and help it regain its ratings globally as a leading exporter of high quality coffee for roasters and blenders. The CS said that some of the strategies being employed include extending support to farmers with the aim of increasing their annual production capacity from the current 50,000 metric tonnes of coffee to 150,000 metric tonnes.

“We want to go back to where we were in the 1970s.You can imagine we are only producing 50,000 metric tonnes at a time when the coffee market has the highest prices since the 70s.This means that we are going to earn only a third of what we would be earning if we were still producing 150,000 metric tonnes,” said the CS.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Wangari Mwangi