Storm in coffee cup: Kirinyaga County coffee farmers still in doubt over proposed direct payment
The farmers in the county have said that the new coffee DSS proposal would disadvantage farmers as well as their cooperative societies. Some of the issues raised are the farmers’ ability to access advance payment and affordable loans from their factories as well as farm inputs that are normally deducted from their pay-out.
Coffee, once a jewel in Kenya economy, struggles as government targets 150,000 tonnes per year
To address these challenges, Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya disclosed that his ministry has already rolled out a number of reforms including the distribution of over 780,000 seedlings so far, with a target of five million by the end of this year and 20 million by the end of 2026.
Cooperatives minister spells out plans on how Kenya intends to recover from decades-old coffee production slump
Since coffee farming was introduction in Kenya in the 1890s, its production grew so fast to become a major cash crop, and hit the peak in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the industry faced challenges, including market volatility, policy changes and environmental issues,.
