Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua will convene a stakeholder conference on the implementation of coffee reforms in two weeks.
Speaking on Saturday, April 8 when he visited and engaged coffee farmers in Mathira, Nyeri County where he has retreated to for the Easter holidays, Mr Gachagua noted that the conference would be to firm up proposed reforms in the subsector.
The conference will bring together representatives of farmers from coffee growing counties, governors and lawmakers, Cabinet Secretaries for Trade, Agriculture, Cooperatives, and members of the Coffee Exchange and Coffee Directorate among other relevant agencies.
“The purpose is to agree on what needs to be done and the MPs and Senators will take it from there and come up with regulations and legislations to cushion farmers from middlemen,” the Deputy President stated.
He added, "We are visiting farmers to understand what ails the sector. There is less production because farmers are less motivated because of poor prices and exploitation by cartels."
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Mr Gachagua mentioned that farmers would begin enjoying better returns once the revival initiatives take root.
“We must restore the glory of the coffee farmer. Personally, I was educated from proceeds from coffee. In the 1970s and 1980s, this crop had a lot of credibility,” Mr Gachagua said.
The Deputy President also visited a host of farmers from Ragati Tea Factory in Ihwagi Village of Mathira Constituency, and assured them that plans are underway for another conference for stakeholders in the tea subsector.
