Area under coffee up by 3,500 hectares in the past three years
A woman picks coffee berries at a Nyeri farm in central region. Area under coffee cultivation has increased by 3,500 hectares in the last three years as traditional non-coffee growing regions such as North Rift and Nyanza embraced the cash crop. PHOTO | FILE
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Agriculture PS Richard Lesiyampe says the increased acreage was realised in the last two crop years where farmers in the North Rift and Nyanza regions planted new coffee varieties such as Batian.
Dr Lesiyampe said the rise in acreage has been achieved through efforts by both the national and county governments as well as other players.
Area under coffee cultivation has increased by 3,500 hectares in the last three years as traditional non-coffee growing regions embraced the cash crop.
Agriculture PS Richard Lesiyampe says the increased acreage was realised in the last two crop years where farmers in the North Rift and Nyanza regions planted new coffee varieties such as Batian.
“The area under coffee has increased to 113,500 hectares from 109,795 hectares in 2013/14 crop year,” said Mr Lesiyampe.
Since early 1990s to 2010/11 crop year, area under coffee shrank by 35 per cent from 170,000 to 109,795 hectares as farmers abandoned the crop due to poor management.
Dr Lesiyampe said the rise in acreage has been achieved through efforts by both the national and county governments as well as other players.
He said Mount Kenya and eastern regions, where the crop is mainly grown, are threatened by change of land use into real estate and emergence of new economic ventures such as horticulture that has over the years reduced the acreage.
The PS made the remarks during the Second National Coffee Conference and the 10th Ruiru Coffee Fair at Coffee Research Institute in Kiambu County at the weekend.
European Union through Coffee Productivity Project is expanding the area under production in potential areas by enhancing access to improved coffee planting materials and providing technical information. The project has granted more than Sh75 million to 28 coffee nursery owners in 28 counties to enhance capacity in propagating coffee seedlings.
Steady decline
The PS also blamed the declined coffee acreage on the liberalisation of the agricultural sector following the introduction of Structural Adjustment Programmes by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in the mid-1980s.
He said the liberalisation led to sharp drop in production from 129,000 metric tonnes in 1987/1988 crop year to below 50,000 (40,000 three years ago) metric tonnes of today. According to the International Coffee Organisation, Kenya has recorded a steady decline in production as average production since 2000/2001 fell below 800,000 bags compared to 1.5 million bags from 1970/1971 and 1999/2000 crop years.
However, CFI notes that the current national average production per tree has increased to three kilogrammes per bush in the current crop year from two kilogrammes three years ago.
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