Coffee farmers in
Murang’a have received impressive payment for their produce in the year
2020/2021.
Although no factory
registered payment of above Sh100 per kilogramme as has happened in Nyeri,
Kirinyaga, Embu and Meru counties, they registered an impressive return as
compared to that of the previous years.
The best prices follows entry of the government backed New KPCU that came to the rescue of the farmers who had been left at the mercy of the commercial millers.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya last year kicked off reforms in the sectors that have uplifted the farmers morale after years of frustrations.
At Kangiri Farmers
Cooperative Society in Kigumo sub county, there was celebrations after the
disclosure by the management of more impressive payments a year after the former
management committee was ousted.
The society’s Gatumbi
factory lead the pack with Sh87.70 per kilogramme of cherry produced by
farmers.
In the 2019/2020 year,
farmers at Gatumbi were paid Sh63.15 per kilogrammes.
Kangiri chairman Kibugu
Wambu said his management has worked to fulfill the wish of the farmers to
elect them into office.
“We are happy to declare
the best payment to our farmers. Next crop year 2021/2022 we are focused to pay
above Sh100 per kilogramme,” said Kibugu.
Other factories at
Kangiri all achieved rates above Sh79. New Irati paid Sh87.50, Kanguya
Sh79.30, Kanjathi Sh88.15, and Kangurumai Sh84.10.
Comparative payments for
the 2019/2020 were Irati Sh63.45, Gatumbi Sh63.15, Kanjathi Sh62.65 and Kangurumai
Sh47.10.
At Kariua Coffee Society
in Kandara sub-county, the payment was Irera factory Sh67, Mutitu Sh77.50,
Mutheru Sh73.85, and Githaiti Sh70.
At New Weithaga
Farmers Cooperative Society in Kiharu payments were as follows: Weithaga
factory Sh84.75, Kahindu Sh95.95, Kianderi Sh77.65, and Koimbi Sh68.10.
In other factories
payment was reflected as Irugu ini Sh73.45 and Marumi Sh78.80.
Governor Mwangi wa Iria
who praised the coffee societies for making a marked improvement in payments
said in the crop year 2019/2020, the farmers produced 39.7 million kilogrammes
of cherry and generated an income of Sh2.8 billion.
An increase in
production this year, Iria said, could be attributed to supply of subsided
manure that benefited 47,691 farmers under an intervention programme initiated
by the Murang’a County Government.
“ By 2024 it is
expected the production of coffee will be increased by 20 million kilogrammes
and increase revenue will top Sh5billion,” said the governor.
In the 1980’s Murang’a
was a leading producer of coffee before the sector experienced market
turbulence from 1997 following World Bank prescribed liberalisation policies
and global over production.
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