This archive report was first published on 14 October 2019.
Published on October 14, 2019, Kiambu County Government has initiated talks with the national government to have Sh400 million local coffee societies debts waived.
Deputy Governor James Nyoro stated that the huge debt by the coffee societies had been a significant impediment to the development of coffee farming locally.
The talks, if fruitful, would see 23 coffee societies benefit from the waiver, with the once giant Komothai Coffee Cooperative Society leading the pack with Sh160 million debt.
Dr. Nyoro also highlighted the need to revive the county's coffee factories, which were in deplorable condition, and to find new markets outside the traditional ones for coffee marketing.
He added that the county was seeking to put all the 23 coffee societies under one umbrella body to gain the economies of scale and fetch better prices for the commodity.
Furthermore, Dr. Nyoro suggested that local coffee farmers should take advance payment for their parchment after the Government set up a Sh3 billion cherry advance revolving fund.
