Government officials want coffee factory managers to be declaring volumes of dry beans in their stores.
The want all factories to be storing dry beans in a common warehouse.
This is expected to help the government secure the beans and cut farmers losses.
Central region administration wants coffee factory managers to be declaring volumes of dry beans in their stores as well as transport schedules.
Further, the security machinery wants all factories to be storing dry beans in a common warehouse.
Regional security co-ordinator Wilson Njega said this would help the government secure the beans and cut farmers losses.
“We have noted a pattern where in all the reported cases of coffee theft there was no attempt by factory management to engage our security officers in securing the beans. In such a case, it becomes very hard to have our officers to draw up an action plan to deal with the menace,” he said.
According to Senate Committee on Agriculture chairman Njeru Ndwiga, cases of coffee theft are denying farmers up to Sh3 billion annually.
“In a situation whereby there is zero insurance policy on coffee beans at factory level, the loss inflicted by coffee thieves ends up being transferred to the farmers at the payment counter,” he said.
Mr Njega said since agriculture is a devolved function, the central and county governments find themselves in a dilemma in trying to secure farmers’ coffee against the thieves.
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