Commodities

Meru coffee farmers bullish after beans fetch high price

Tuesday October 20 2020

A coffee farmer in Meru. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Coffee farmers from a factory in Meru have expressed optimism that their produce will this year earn them good money after their top grade beans sold at $433 (Sh46,800) for a 50 kilo bag at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange last week.

Ntongoro Coffee Society chairman Stanley Mungori said they were informed of the sale by Nairobi Coffee Exchange officials who said the price was the highest at the start of this season, and that from a lot of 180 bags, 106 were of the top AA grade.

“We take quality very seriously and have been producing high quality beans for many years. When we were told our coffee had fetched that amount of money, we were happy that finally our efforts have borne fruit,” said Mr Mungori.

The society has only one factory located at Nthimbiri, Imenti North, and has about 1,300 active farmers who last year produced 276,043 kilos of parchment.

“It is also easy for us to maintain good quality since our society consists of only one factory. We supply farm inputs and ensure all our farmers adhere to proper crop husbandry,” said Mr Mungori.