Meru eyes Sh1 billion in coffee export earnings after good season

People wait to be served at the Huduma Centre in Nairobi. IFC says one-stop shops could improve business registration and significantly reduce the cost of doing business. FILE 

By EVELYN SITUMA

Meru expects to earn Sh1 billion from direct sale of coffee overseas.

Governor Peter Munya said the forecast is based on the high yields in the county in the current season.

 

“We expect to earn Sh1 billion from the sale of 16 million kilos of coffee from the next season of April to June which will yield high harvest,” said Mr Munya.

Farmers, he said, have been a happy lot since the county unveiled a centralised coffee milling plant in February this year. Their coffee has fetched higher prices in the market abroad.

The county government has supported the coffee farmers’ unions’ initiative of having a central milling plant for their coffee.

So far the unions have received Sh19.4million from the sale of the first lot of milled coffee.

“This money has already been sent to the respective coffee societies for payment to the farmers and I’m happy to announce that the lowest payment to the farmer is Sh40, and the highest is Sh65 per Kilo,” said Mr Munya.