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Real estate encroachment clears 350 acres of Murang’a coffee

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New homes on Thika Road. Many developments sit on former coffee land. PHOTO | FILE

Some 350 acres of Murang’a county coffee land have been converted into real estate as farmers increasingly abandon the crop, area Coffee Advisory Officer Paul Mutua has said.

In his briefing to the Agricultural Food Authority (AFA), Mr Mutua said that peri-urban areas of Makuyu, Kandara and Gatanga sub counties around Thika Road have been hit hardest by the change in land use.

Among the high-end housing developments on the edge of Thika town are Thika Greens, Bahati Ridge and Golden Pearly Estate.

“This is a worrying development that spells doom for the one-time coffee producer giant that is Murang’a County,” he said.

In the 1980’s, Murang’a produced 200 metric tonnes of coffee a year compared to the current average of 20 million kilos.

Coffee is cultivated by an estimated 70,000 farmers and directly benefits over 500, 000 people.

With a population of 26 million trees, production per tree remains low at 0.92 kg against the good practice average yield of 10-15 kg per tree.

Mr Mutua said that unpredictable and low payout to farmers have not helped matters. Farmers are paid about Sh50 per kilogramme of the beans. In 2012/13 gross sales were Sh1.7 billion with farmers earning Sh30 per kilo.

“In 2013/2014 gross payout to farmers per kilo was Sh42 and which improved to Sh55 in 2014/2015. Currently, for the 2015/16 deliveries, the average price per kilo has been Sh45,” he said in a letter.

READ: Real estate boom poses major threat to agriculture

He cited other challenges as erratic weather, inadequate affordable credit, high cost of inputs and declining soil fertility, especially in traditional coffee growing areas.

“Further, competition with other farm enterprises — especially dairy farming and banana growing — is working to the disadvantage of coffee growing,” said Mr Mutua.

He cited poor governance and management of coffee institutions, escalating coffee theft and illegal dealings within the sector as well as inadequate involvement of women and youth in decision making as some of the woes bedevilling the sector.

He said Murang’a Farmers’ Cooperative Union coming up with a coffee milling plant in Maragua did not help redeem the sector since it “is not operational because it has not received coffee from area farmers”.

President Uhuru Kenyatta recently announced that the government had waived coffee farmers’ bad debts standing at Sh2.4 billion.