Coffee milling machine revives fortunes

A Sh50 million milling machine is breathing life to formerly dormant coffee sub-sector in Nandi County.

Farmers in the agriculturally productive region quit coffee over two decades ago due to poor prices. Then a new processing plant started operations earlier this month along Eldoret-Kisumu highway in Tinderet Sub-County.

This awakened cooperative societies which had become dormant for years. Nandi County Department of Agriculture said over 60 cooperative societies have consolidated their operations and ready to supply their cherries to the plant for value addition and exportation.

Among the oldest cooperatives include include Kabunyeria, Kapngendui, Kapkiyai, Sirwo, Kapsaos and Kapkulumben societies. The farmers have embarked on their respective societies to benefit from the ongoing mobilisation and economic initiatives.

Ezekiel Kemboi, one of the coffee farmers, said he now attending to his 2 acres of coffee plantation and expecting to harvest in three months. “Now we have a milling plant, post-harvest processes are going to be affordable for farmers. Initially we lacked storage facilities and roasting plants. Most of us counted huge losses due to mishandling of the berries,” he said.

He noted that value addition of the berries promises high prices and collective bargaining of farmers in exportation of the produce to the highest bidder in the international markets.

Tinderet was among top producers of coffee in Kenya between 1990 and 2000, but plummeting global prices and management issues rocked the sub-sector and farmers moved to tea. This led to the downfall of societies that played a critical role in management and marketing of coffee produce.

For the last three years, the county government and some NGOs have mobilised over 10,000 small scale farmers and donated close to three million of coffee seedlings to farmers within the mapped zones.

In the zoning strategy, extension services have been intensified in Kapchorwa, Tinderet, Songhor-soba, Kapsimatwo and Aldai areas.

Other zones which have shown potentiality include Ndalat, Kabisaga and Lelemokwa. Governor Stephen Sang said the milling machine which started operations on December 6, will help develop quality coffee brands to meet local and international market demand.

“Coffee farming is adversely affected by poor prices and unscrupulous brokers who have been exploiting farmers and making farming unprofitable. But the factory will cushion the farmers from unfavourable market dynamics and enable them access the market,” he said.

He said the county will set minimum prices and the least grade of coffee cherries to be bought from farmers at Sh90 per kilo.

The farmers will supply the produce for processing and effective storage of the coffee berries to minimise spoilage. Through cooperative brokerage committee, the farmers will identify buyers of their processed coffee at better prices.

CEC for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Dr Bernard Lagat, who is leading a ‘Dollar Mashinani’ campaign to encourage youth and women to venture into coffee farming, said various groups have benefited from county empowerment initiatives.