Coffee farmers picking. [photo/ letstalkcoffee.org]
The coffee farmers union has come up with a new four-year strategy that will target to improve the dwindling sector.
According to the Union's manager Kimani Kirigwi, the strategies they have put in place include marketing, chain monitoring, and succession through the youth training and research.
The implementation of the strategies will be carried by four strategic partners which include Kenya Coffee Research Institute, French government, Kenya Co-operative Coffee Exporters (KCCE) and Murang’a County Government.
A look at the plan shows that the French government will finance Ksh 140 million towards the implementation while Kenya co-operative coffee exporters will take full control of the sales and marketing and the Research Institute will focus on agro-economy issues.
Kirigwi said that the dwindling of coffee sector has been brought by fluctuation of the prices in the international markets which has frustrated the farmers adding that poor husbandry and lack of succession plans have also contributed to poor performance of the coffee sector.
“Coffee growers have over the years complained of poor international markets and marketing agents as a major frustration. But there are other contributing factors such as poor husbandry and coffee farming succession plan,” said Kirigwi.
On the issue of succession plans , Kirigwi said that the union will train 1000 young people interested in coffee farming at their institutes and they will they be expected to act as role models to the other young people in the society.
The manager has however expressed optimism in the set strategies saying that the sector will regain its full productivity.