Coffee farmers in Meru County have appealed to President William Ruto to consider supplying them with subsidized fertilizer to enhance production, quality and earnings.
Meru Central Coffee Cooperative Union Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Duncan Kiambia Marete said other crops like maize are already using subsidized fertilizer to plant and urged President Ruto to intervene and ensure the same government goodwill is introduced in the coffee sector.
Speaking to the media at his office in Meru town, Marete said coffee uses special fertilizer as farm input unlike other crops noting the subsidized fertilzer will inevitably lower the cost of production while enhancing quality and earnings.
“We are appealing to President William Ruto to consider supplying coffee farmers with subsidized fertilizer in order to improve production, quality and earnings. Other crops like maize are already enjoying subsidized fertilizer from the government coffers. That is why we feel the same gesture should be extended to the coffee farmers.
The cost of farm input is one of the greatest challenges coffee farmers are currently facing. Whenever the president intervenes to increase the amount of subsidized farm inputs for maize, the same should apply to coffee sector. Coffee uses specialised fertilizer unlike other crops,” said the CEO.
Marete however reassured the farmers that they have contained the situation by securing Sh150 million through the Cooperative bank supply chain financing.
He advised the cooperative unions to ensure they tender for qualified suppliers for the specialized inputs before proceeding to the union office for a letter of guarantorship insisting the vital document will enable the bank to release funds meant to pay the suppliers.
The CEO urged Meru residents to resume coffee farming after they previously abandoned the crop insisting that coffee prices have improved drastically.
He lauded President Ruto for reforming the coffee sector by putting in place mechanism meant to improve production, quality, earnings and farmers welfare.
”We love our coffee which is popularly known as the ”black gold. We support the farmer by buying coffee from him, milling and selling it final product to the highest bidder. I can assure you that coffee is doing very well following the intervention of the National government. We have been able to eradicate the brokers who have been fleecing the farmers of their hard earned cash,” said Marete.
The CEO promised to work harmoniously with all the cooperative union and other stakeholders to educate farmers on the best crop husbandry.
”The coffee general regulations of 2019, deliberately removed the coffee middlemen. This has brought changes to the coffee production. Am optimistic the coffee prices will keep getting better. That is why I keep encouraging farmers to resume coffee farming to boost their earnings from the cash crop. Let me assure farmers that if the quality of the produce increases, the cost per cherry kilogram will improve,” he said.
Marete said they are cooperating with factories and cooperative societies to educate farmers on the need to engage in proper farming activities to increase the quality of the coffee produce.
He cited lack of tree seedlings, climate change and youth failure to embrace coffee farming as some the the other challenges facing the coffee sector.
