Coffee farmers in Nyeri oppose milling proposal

A coffee plantation. Coffee farmers have opposed a proposal by the Nyeri County government to have all the crop from the area milled under one roof. PHOTO|FILE.   NATION

In Summary

• The proposal by the Nyeri County follows a recommendation by a taskforce which came up with a report which is set for implementation.
• But the implementation phase could take a while as it requires the necessary legislation to be put in place according to the report by the taskforce.

By NATION REPORTER
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Coffee farmers have opposed a proposal by the Nyeri County government to have all the crop from the area milled under one roof.

The farmers, who took loans to buy farm inputs from their miller, met and resolved to continue delivering their coffee to the miller in order to offset the outstanding loan.

The proposal by the Nyeri County follows a recommendation by a taskforce which came up with a report which is set for implementation.

The report, which was commissioned by governor Nderitu Gachagua on May 16, 2013, recommends that all the coffee from the county be milled at Sagana Mills which has modern facilities as the Othaya miller is upgraded.

The report also recommends that crop from the county be marketed as Nyeri County coffee.

But the plan has not gone down well with a section of millers who are now afraid of advancing more credit to farmers.

The millers fear that they could lose their money when the farmers divert their coffee to one miller as the report recommends.

Such are the concerns that made farmers allied to Mung’aria coffee Factory in Tetu to meet last week and pass a resolution that they will continue delivering their coffee to Nyambane Coffee Mills in order to offset a loan advance of Sh5.8 million given to them by the miller who is also their marketer.

The 800 farmers belonging to the Mung’aria Coffee Factory cited the policy of liberalization of market which still exists in the coffee sector in order to arrive at their decision.

FUNDS WITHHELD

Earlier, there had been claims that the farmers had refused to deliver their coffee to the factory as the Miller had withheld funds meant for payment of the farmers due to the uncertainty but Mr Francis Kimondo, the chairman of the Mung’aria Coffee Factory refuted the claims.

Speaking to the Nation, Mr Kimondo said the Miller, Nyambene Coffee Mills had released Sh2 million and was expected to release a further Sh1.5 million in order to pay the farmers.

Mr Kimondo said they had agreed not to deduct from the disbursement all the money the farmers owed the Miller at once as this would hurt the farmers.

Last week, the Nyeri County governor while addressing journalists at the Westwood Hotel in Nyeri, said they had finished collecting views from the farmers and would now move towards implementation.

But the implementation phase could take a while as it requires the necessary legislation to be put in place according to the report by the taskforce.

The county assembly is the one which will do the legislation but the assembly is now on a boycott agitating for a salary increment.

The governor’s plans may therefore take time to materialize should the stalemate between the county assemblies and the SRC persist.