New KPCU launches five-year coffee sector strategic plan to boost productivity

KENYA – The New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (NKPCU) has launched the Strategic Plan 2023-2027 for the coffee sector, aiming to boost average farmer productivity and increase local consumption to boost revenues.

The five-year Strategic Plan outlines building a resilient coffee industry and propelling the organization to become the go-to institution for coffee farmers in Kenya and beyond.

New KPCU chairman Daniel Chemno said the organization is keen to increase production and revive coffee farming.

“There is a need to ensure that our production increases. Over the last 30 years, coffee production has been on a downward trend,” he said.

“We are looking to increase production by enhancing milling, warehousing, and mechanical services. We are also keen to ensure that coffee becomes attractive to the younger generations.”

Chemno also proposed that the government should introduce a specific program for women and youth to increase coffee production. Additionally, the Coffee Research Institute should be empowered to produce Robusta seeds through partnerships with counties.

Highlighting some of the main issues in the strategic plan, Mr. Timothy Mirugi, the New KPCU Managing Director, said that the union will continue offering training and advisory services to farmers through established demo farms and other forums.

“We want to partner with farmer groups such as unions and cooperatives to improve our efficiency in getting the right information to farmers and in distributing coffee inputs,” said Timothy.

Currently, over 415,000 farmers across the country have benefited from Ksh5.8 billion of the coffee cherry fund, thanks to government support.

According to Timothy, due to improvements in production, New KPCU is working hard to expand and modernize its facilities to handle the volumes effectively.

“Today, we have 946,000 sq ft of warehouse capacity. We are modernizing our Sagana facility and upgrading the New KPCU lab to improve our service delivery to farmers and buyers.”

New KPCU also plans to upgrade its 24 warehouses to the required world standards of operations and, most importantly, to improve farmer earnings from an average of Ksh70 per kilo of cherry to not less than Ksh135 by 2027.

In addition, the strategic plan includes the capacity building of 250 wet mills across coffee-growing counties and increasing the tonnage of coffee milled from 3,025 tonnes in 2022/23 to 30,000 tonnes by 2027.

However, the sector faces myriad challenges such as unpredictable weather, high input costs, shrinking coffee-growing areas, delayed payments, climate change, and fluctuating market prices.

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