Coffee prices up on demand ahead of December holiday

Coffee prices at the Nairobi auction increased by four per cent on high demand as traders stocked up ahead of the Christmas break.

Data from the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) indicates that a 50-kilogramme bag was sold at Sh28,512 up from Sh27,432 in the previous sale.

The NCE said there had been a high demand of the beverage at the auction ahead of the festive season.

The jump in value has also been occasioned by quality coffee that farmers are bringing to the auction following the onset of the main season.

“We are now getting the high-quality crop from farmers in what has contributed to an increase in the price of the commodity at the auction,” said NCE.

“The high demand has also been occasioned by the fact that the country is approaching Christmas break and traders have scaled up their volumes for future sales.”

The price of coffee at the auction had dropped significantly in the last couple of months as the market received lower-quality crop after the main crop from central Kenya came to an end.