Kenya has just allocated 6 billion shillings (about 38 million dollars) to benefit coffee farmers. This was announced by Isaac Mwaura, government spokesperson, specifying that the allocation will be implemented through the Coffee cherry advance revolving fund (Ccarf).
Under the stewardship of the Kenya Planters’ Cooperative Union (KPCU), the fund was established in 2019 to provide sustainable and accessible loans to small-scale coffee farmers, whose farms are less than 8 hectares in size. According to the local newspaper Capital Fm, this financial support will allow the purchase price of the grain to be increased from producers: the objective is to guarantee a minimum income of 80 shillings (0.5 dollars) per kilogram, an increase of 33% compared to the current 60 shillings ($0.37).
“The operation is already underway in Makueni County and will be extended to all 37 coffee producing counties in the country. Specifically, Sh40 will be paid once the farmer transports his crop to the factory and the rest of the payment will be sent to him within a month of processing,” Makureni said. This measure is part of the various measures planned by the government to stimulate local coffee production and increase it by 2028 to almost 260,000 tonnes, compared to 52,000 tonnes in 2022.
In Kenya, coffee cultivation covers a total area of over 100,000 hectares and the bean value chain supports, according to official data, more than 5 million people. [Da Redazione InfoAfrica]
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