Private coffee planters in the larger Gucha region who run private pulping stations have been warned against poaching and preying on small-holder coffee farmers registered as growers by primary co-operative societies in the region as it flouted the cooperatives Act.
Kisii County Deputy Commissioner of co-operatives,Thomas Nyakweba has warned all those operating private coffee pulping stations and registered as private planters to cease from poaching unsuspecting coffee growers from their cooperative societies as they risked being deregistered by the said societies for being members of more than one co-operative society.
Speaking today at Nyamonya Farmers cooperative Society in Sameta sub-County, during the Society's Annual General Meeting.
Nyakweba who was accompanied by Bomachoge Chache sub-County cooperative officer who is also acting as Bobasi sub-county cooperative officer, Benard Ochieng' reminded coffee farmers that it was illegal for them to deliver their coffee produce to private planters' pulping stations while they were members of a certain primary co-operative society.
Nyakweba warned coffee farmers to be wary of mushrooming private planters in the region and establish whether those asking them to deliver coffee to their pulping stations met all the registration requirements by the Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK) to avert losing their produce to questionable coffee dealers on the loose.
"For one to operate as a private planter and run a private pulping station, he or she must have a minimum of five acres of mature 5,000 coffee trees and variety per land parcel presented," stated Nyakweba.
However, Nyakweba commended the management board of Nyamonya F.C.S Ltd for impressive cherry coffee payments to farmers for crop season of 2015/16, where they paid farmers at the rate of Sh32.85 per kilo of coffee delivered and milled by the Gusii Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union's coffee mill plant.
During the AGM, the Society held its third rotational elections for Boigesa 1, Bosingi/Bomorasi and Nyaribari electoral areas where the immediate former directors; Samuel Mocha Ondieki(Boigesa1),William Maronga (Bosingi/Bomorasi) and Rebeccah Nyabuto (Nyaribari) bounced back unopposed.
After the elections,the Executive Board of Management was constituted but maintained status quo where Moses Oroko retained his position as the Board Chairman, Alfred Matoke (Vice/Chairman), William Maronga (Treasurer), Rebeccah Nyabuto (Honorary Secretary) and Eric Masenge (Chief Executive Officer).
Other board members are Samuel Mocha Ondieki, Stephen Masese and William Ong'ang'a.