Kenyan coffee farmers and their leaders are concerned about the anticipated poor pay for the 2020/2022 crop and are calling on the Kenya Kwanza administration to set up a stabilization fund. The fund is expected to cushion farmers and prevent them from abandoning coffee farming. Duncan Maina, a member of a group of leaders advocating for farmers’ rights, said that current prices at the auction indicate that farmers will receive poor pay for their crops.
Statistics from the auction show that this year’s early crop realized low prices of between USD180 and 200 for 50 kilograms of clean coffee, compared to high prices of between USD300 and 500 for the 2019/2020 crop. Maina said that the farmers will receive less money, and that’s why they’re demanding a fund similar to the Price Stabilisation (Stabex) funds and coffee development fund.
Maina expressed disappointment with the supplementary budget presented to the assembly, as it lacks provisions for subsidies or support for farmers. He said that the Kenya Kwanza government had promised to guarantee the maximum price for coffee and tea farmers. However, there is no money set aside for farmers in these two sectors.
John Gitonga Ngatia, a farmer from Kamuyu, said that unless the government intervenes, they will receive lower pay compared to last year when they were paid between Sh100 and 120 per raw kilo of cherry. He added that the government had come too late to realize that farmers would be paid poorly.
In January, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was appointed to oversee the coffee and tea sectors to improve the fortunes of farmers. On his appointment, Gachagua declared war on cartels that had been exploiting farmers by taking huge chunks of their hard-earned money only to pay them peanuts.
Coffee and tea are the leading exchange earners for Kenya. Farmers want the government to take coffee farming seriously. Unless the government intervenes, the farmers will receive lower pay than last year, which could lead to a decline in production.
