A section of coffee farmers in Ndumberi and Githunguri in Kiambu County have urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene over the problems facing the sector.
The farmers claim that they have abandoned coffee farming for other crops due to the many challenges facing the sector.
On Saturday, the farmers said that poor coffee prices and mismanagement at the Kenya Coffee Planters Union (KCPU) has seen them abandon the once lucrative sector.
Mr James Mburu, a coffee farmer in Githunguri, said the coffee sector has been worsened by cartels that fleece farmers money.
“Coffee farming was once a lucrative venture here in Githunguri and neighbouring areas but its value has faded away over the years,” he said.
Mr Mburu said that poor prices and failure by the unions to pay farmers demoralised many of them, forcing them to adopt other crops.
Ms Catherine Waihenya, a once coffee farmer in Ndumberi who practiced coffee farming for many years, said that the sector needs good will to be revived.
She said the government has the capability of reviving the sector, adding that President Kenyatta needs to intervene.
“Many farmers here are no longer interested in coffee farming because of the many problems that has rocked the sector,” she said.
She asked Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mr Willy Bett to come up with ways of revamping the sector.
Several leaders in the central region that is known for coffee production have been calling for prosecution of individuals who have mismanaged the coffee sector.