Small scale coffee farmers contracted to Nyamonya Famers Cooperative Society of Giasaiga sub location in Sameta sub county have been warned against compromising the quality of their cherry coffee beans delivered to the society by picking their produce a day earlier before weighing and pulping.
The society's director Samuel Ondieki has decried cases where some farmers pick their cherry coffee beans one or two days earlier before the weighing day, exposing their produce to excessive fermentation which he said compromised the quality of the coffee beans.
Speaking to this writer on Wednesday morning at Iyabe-Nyakegogi Shopping Centre head office, Ondieki lamented that poor post harvest handling of the coffee beans by farmers at farm level continued compromising the quality of coffee beans pulped and graded for milling and ultimate marketing.
Ondieki observed that poor coffee beans harvest practices at farm level contributed to poor coffee grades which he regretted led to poor sales at the coffee auction market and poor payments to the farmers.
"I am warning our farmers against picking their coffee cherry beans a day or two before the weighing day since the practice led to excessive fermentation of the beans which compromises the quality of the produce during pulping and grading," he said.
He assured farmers that the board of management had put strategies in place to improve coffee quality and productivity as part of the efforts to improve farmers' earnings during this long crop season in the area.