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.
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.
In the past five years, the average payment per kilogramme of coffee in the county averaged Sh35.
Murang’a county is among the few coffee growing regions without a vibrant mill owned by co-operatives after the Eastern Aberdare Coffee Mills (Ecomill) in Maragua town failed to attract clients.
The county government delivered 4,700 trucks of manure distributed in all the 144 coffee factories as organic fertilizers for increase production.
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