Decreased coffee production and poor-quality cherry have resulted in farmers allied to various cooperative societies earning meager returns from the crop in the recent past.
Mismanagement of some societies have also contributed to the decline of the coffee sector returns prompting scores of farmers to abandon the crop.
With numerous challenges facing the once lucrative sub sector, management of Gatagua Agro-marketing Farmers’ Cooperative society employed various strategies to revive coffee farming and ensure affiliated farmers earn better returns.
The cooperative society located in Kahuro Sub county of Murang’a was established in 2019 after it split from Mugoiri cooperative society.
Since its inception, the society with 972 active members has witnessed increased production of quality coffee.
According to the society’s Chairman Mr. Nahason Chege, coffee production increased from 78, 000 kilos in 2019 to 243, 000 kilos in 2020.
Chege who spoke to KNA says the amount that farmers earned per kilo of cherry also went up from Sh38 to Sh60 attributing the better price to production of quality coffee beans.
The chairman observes that in 2021 coffee production increased to 520, 000 kilos which earned farmers Sh80 per kilo of cherry delivered to the society.
“Our production in the year 2022 was 489, 000 kilograms and during this year we sold our coffee directly to a buyer and farmers were paid Sh. 110 per kilo. Selling coffee directly to buyers fetches impressive prices,” Chege recalls.
He adds in 2024, farmers allied to the society managed to produce 440, 785 kilos saying farmers earned Sh. 120 per delivered kilo of cherry.
“For the 2024/2025 coffee season which was paid in February this year, we paid Sh120 per kilo. This was the best price the farmers have ever earned since the inception of the society,” states Chege.
The chairman noted his management has focused on helping farmers produce quality coffee which attracts international buyers.
“Since we took over the management of the society, we have been stressing on production of high quality coffee. We engaged officers from Coffee Research Institute and extension officers from Kenya Coffee Company who have trained our farmers on better ways of propagating their coffee bushes.
“The training has borne fruit since a large amount of coffee produced by our farmers is of premium grade of AA,” explained the chairman.
The society, he observed, has also established a supervisory committee which visits farmers’ farms and checks on the quality of the coffee.
“Farmers are not supposed to intercrop coffee bushes with maize, napier grass among other crops apart from beans. Trees at coffee farms are supposed to be pruned,” remarked Chege.
He added that the extension officers also trained farmers on proper ways of pruning their coffee bushes and application of fertilizer.
“The effort has assisted this cooperative society to produce high quality coffee which is always sought by both local and international buyers. As management, we have also entered into partnership with manufacturers of fertilizer. We usually don’t rely on subsidized fertilizer,” he stated.
Members of the society, Chege said, have also agreed to facilitate renovation and facelift of their factory noting that each farmer contributes between 15 and 20 percent of the earnings annually to cater for upgrades of the factory.
“Currently we have digitized operations at our factory. We have digital weighing machines which notify member farmers of the weight of their coffee once delivered at the factory. We have also installed 38 metallic coffee drying beds and we are in process of installing more.
“The factory has also installed a solar coffee drying chamber to assist during chilly or rain seasons,” he explained.
Chege further said prompt payment of farmers has also motivated them to increase coffee production.
“Farmers are paid immediately and coffee is sold either directly or through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. Some coffee brokers who market our coffee have rewarded us severally for producing quality coffee beans,” he averred.
In his remarks, Murang’a County Executive Committee member for Agriculture and Cooperatives Kimani Mugo termed Gatagua cooperative society as an example of how cooperative societies should be managed.
The county government, Mugo added, was working closely with local cooperative societies towards production of the quality grades and increase of production.
“In the first quarter of 2024/2025, Gatagua registered an impressive payment after it ventured into the export market,” said Mugo who spoke to KNA on phone.
By Bernard Munyao
