This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
Published on October 11, 2019, the Crops (Coffee) (General) Regulations, 2019, aimed to reform the coffee sector, but have instead faced opposition from farmers in the Mt Kenya region.
The regulations, which were published on July 1, 2019, require the digitization of the coffee value chain by next year, a move that farmers feel will be too costly, given the current low returns from the crop.
Other contentious regulations include the requirement for pulping stations to take samples to independent cupping laboratories for quality analysis, which farmers argue will lead to a reduced amount of coffee being taken to the market.
Several cooperative societies, including Baragwi Farmers Co-operative Society, Inoi, Kabare, Kanjuu, Karithathi, Kibirigwi, Mirichi, and Murita, Mwirua, New Ngariama, Ngiriambu, Rungeto, Rwama, and Thirikwa, have rejected the regulations, citing a lack of public participation and consultation.
The farmers argue that the regulations are not pegged on any policy document developed by the Government in relation to the coffee sector and would only serve to increase the running costs of coffee growing and handling.
The cooperatives leaders have threatened to move to court to block the implementation of the rules, which they feel will cause confusion in the sector.
