Deputy President William Ruto has good news for coffee farmers. Speaking at St Thomas Moore Kairuri Catholic Parish in Embu County, he said that it was important for coffee farmers to be helped since they incurred huge costs in their farming activities.
He said that the farmers would get Sh1.5 billion subsidized fertilizer to raise the profitability of the coffee output by lowering the production cost incurred. This is set to be executed in this financial year (2017/18).
Ruto was accompanied by Embu Senator Njeru Ndwiga who is the Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman. Ndwiga had proposed that coffee factories should be audited to minimize farmers’ problems which resulted from pillaging their earnings and underpayment.
“The subsidized fertilizer will help farmers increase their profit margins. We will help them the same way other farmers get government support,” said DP Ruto. He also promised that the government would supply several milk coolers to Embu farmers to promote dairy farming.
Mr Ndwiga said that farmers earnings from various factories had declined due to rot in the coffee sector notwithstanding higher yields.
He said that the Senate committee would also engage tea farmers and listen to their grievances so as to advance the tea sector.