A farmer tends her coffee bushes. Farmers in Nyeri have received up to Sh20 per kilo for deliveries to cooperatives. PHOTO | FILE
Nyeri coffee farmers have begun receiving advance payments for deliveries to cooperatives last season.
Already three cooperative societies in the county have paid farmers more than Sh65 million at between Sh20 and Sh10 per kilogramme delivered.
Cooperatives which have paid farmers include Othaya, Barichu and Gikanda. Officials at the co-operatives blamed decreased production on climate change.
Othaya Coffee Cooperative Society paid out Sh32 million for about 1.5 million kilogrammes of coffee delivered between June and December last year.
“Right now the coffee is still in the wet mills and is being processed as farmers continue with picking,” said Mr James Gathua, the chairman. Farmers in Othaya received the highest pay of Sh20 per kilogramme.
“The amount of coffee that we got this season was less than what we received at a similar time in the previous year. It is a little less than our estimated target of over two million kilogrammes,” Mr Gathua said.
Gikanda and Barichu coffee societies paid farmers at Sh10 per kilogramme of coffee delivered.
At Gikanda, farmers delivered 2.3 million kilogrammes and were paid Sh23 million.
According to the society’s chairman, Joseph Mukuha, coffee deliveries increased compared to the previous year’s 1.9 million kilogrammes.
“Though climate change has adversely affected our production we are not far from our target,” Mr Mukuha said, adding that they plan to produce about three million kilogrammes in the next season.
He said that as the season comes to an end they expect to have produced 2.4 kilogrammes and begin marketing by mid-February to March.
He said they sell their coffee to Europe, the United Statas and Germany, adding that Korea is a new market.
Barichu paid farmers Sh10 million at Sh10 per kilogramme out of 25 million kilogrammes delivered since June. Mr Wachira Mwago, the society’s chairman, said they pay farmers monthly.
There are about 23 coffee cooperatives in the county with an estimated 23,000 farmers.
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