This archive report was first published on 15 June 2020.
Kenya's coffee farmers are set to benefit from a new deal worth over Ksh 90 million after the New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (KPCU) secured a buyer from the USA.
According to KPCU's acting Managing Director Joel Kinyua, the buyer has offered to purchase a kilo of coffee at between six and seven Dollars.
Speaking to KNA, Kinyua said that farmers from Kiambu, Murang'a, Nyeri, and Kirinyaga have been delivering their coffee to warehouses at Kariobagi in Nairobi for milling.
He noted that the buyer has already paid 50 per cent of the total value of coffee, with the remaining amount to be paid once all the coffee is shipped to America.
Under the new deal, farmers will receive between Ksh 70 and Ksh 110 per kilo depending on the quality of the coffee delivered.
‘Farmers need to increase the production of coffee as prices have gone up,’ Kinyua added.
The New KPCU is committed to reviving the sub-sector, which has not been doing well for many years, Kinyua said.
He encouraged cooperative societies to consider delivering their coffee to the new KPCU, noting that the union is working out ways to source for more buyers from abroad.
‘Through the New KPCU, farmers will be at liberty to determine prices and buyers for their coffee beans. The New KPCU will assist farmers throughout the process of selling coffee,’ Kinyua said.
