Coffee offers lifeline for Kenyan farmers

NAIROBI — It was just past midday when Richard Muthie stood at the gate of the Mutira Farmers' Cooperative Society coffee factory, ready to deliver his harvest. Along with the 50-year-old farmer were 30 kilograms of ripe, red coffee berries freshly picked by him that morning.

Since the start of the year, Muthie has delivered 400 kg of coffee berries for processing at the cooperative's mill, located about 4 kilometers from his farm in Kenya's central county of Kirinyaga. The land, inherited from his father, has been his source of livelihood. "Coffee provides me with income to meet my household needs," Muthie said.

Muthie is one of 8,000 smallholder farmers who collectively own the Mutira Farmers' Cooperative Society. They play a vital role in the cooperative's operations, which are deeply intertwined with the region's agricultural rhythms. Martin Kinyua, the secretary of the cooperative, said the coffee harvesting season begins in October and typically concludes by the end of the year. Farmers then wait for the long rains, expected in March 2025, for the next harvest as their crops depend heavily on rainfall.

In 2023, the cooperative processed about 4.88 million kg of coffee berries from its members. Most of the cooperative's production was semi-processed and sold in bulk at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. Only 1 percent was fully processed and sold as a final product to local consumers.

To maximize profits for farmers, the cooperative has set an ambitious goal of fully processing at least 5 percent of their coffee and tapping into overseas markets, including China.

Kinyua said that higher earnings have encouraged farmers to expand the land dedicated to coffee cultivation, which is expected to boost the mill's capacity this year.

Victor Munene, an agronomist at the cooperative, underlined the lucrative potential of coffee farming in the region. "A half-acre (0.2-hectare) piece of land can generate about 96,000 Kenyan shillings ($743) in annual earnings," Munene said.

He said Kenya is capable of producing specialty coffee, which commands premium prices globally, because of its favorable acidic soils.

Statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics underscore the sector's significance. In 2023, the country's coffee production reached 48,648 metric tons, generating about $251.86 million in exports.

Xinhua