The Mountain Journal
A coffee society in Murang’a has advanced its fortunes with
upgrading its status through acquisition of eco pulping, roasting and packaging
systems.
Iyego society in
Kangema constituency has acquired state of art equipment through partnership
with Saving Water Initiative Tropical Farm Management.
Chairman of the
society Njuguna Karatu said the Sh8 million equipment has helped the
organization to start packing their Iyego Coffee Premium trading at
Sh1,000 per kilogramme.
A gramm of coffee is
trading at a shilling.
Photo/Coffee roster courtesy of Fair Trade
The eco pulping
system uses little water in the processing of coffee unlike the conventional
one used by many of the societies, said Njuguna when leaders led by Kangema MP
Peter Kihungi and Deputy Governor Stephen Munania toured.
Photo/ Njuguna Karatu, Chairman at the Iyego Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society.
The MP said the
upgrading of the factory status should be a lesson to others interested in
helping the farmers access better returns.
“ I challenge the
international dealers running coffee shops in Kenya like Dorman to buy
locally roasted coffee instead of importing. In Kenya there is enough
commodity for consumption and export,” said Kihungi.
Commissioning
the project, the deputy Governor said the government is working on a
programme that will help toward increasing coffee production.
Munania said the
county government has rolled out a programme jointly with Murang’a Farmers
Cooperative Union to involve the youth in coffee farming.
“ Using the
youth will help in increasing production of the commodity thus more
returns from the local and the international market,” said the
deputy governor accompanied by County Trade and Industrialisation Executive
Kimani Mugo.
Iyego society
with 12 factories is among the few societies in Murang’a that in 1990’s
survived the liberation wave that led to split.
