M’T ELGON, Kenya – For several years, Bramwel Otwane has tirelessly planted maize on his 40-acre Cheptais farm on the slopes of Mt Elgon.
However, due to poor prices, he shifted to coffee in 1983 and has never looked back.
Most farmers in the mountainous region have planted maize for many years despite price fluctuations, thanks to intermediaries, brokers, and grain flooding from neighbouring countries.
“From what I have gathered, Arabica coffee fetches good money. We have so many coffee cooperatives in this region like Emana, Private planters, Chepkube, Chesikaki, and others that help us secure markets for our produce,” said Otwane.
How much Mt Elgon farmers earn from coffee farming
According to the farmers, they sell their coffee produce in Nairobi and Mombasa for between Sh 247.68 and Sh 515.75 per pound (lb) or between Sh 546.14 and Sh 1,137.23 per kilogramme.
Otwane said that he would stick to coffee farming till the end, unlike other farmers who grow horticulture.
“We have seen some people embrace crops like onions and tomatoes, but we are sticking with coffee because this is one crop that lasts a long time,” he added.
Otwane also advised people without a stable source of income to consider growing coffee, especially the Arabica variety, to earn money. If market prices improve, all will be well.
Why people should embrace coffee as a beverage
People should take tea alone and consider growing coffee due to its market value.
“People should also start taking coffee because it is also good for our health. I hope we will have a reliable market for our produce moving forward. Coffee is not labour intensive as long as you have quality pesticides and good climatic conditions,” Otwane added.
This comes after coffee farmers expressed satisfaction with the new payment method used at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE).
During sensitisation sessions conducted in several counties, farmers applauded the government for instituting the Direct Settlement System (DSS), which has resulted in payments being made in dollars at the auction.
Given that their income from the crop has increased dramatically in recent years, they emphasised the various measures the government is taking to revitalise the coffee industry.
How coffee farming is supporting livelihoods in Mt Elgon
Metrine Nafula, another coffee farmer from Mt Elgon, said the crop had helped her meet her family’s needs, especially paying school fees for her children.
“I have been getting good returns from coffee farming. I am so proud to be a coffee farmer. This is my third year harvesting coffee,” Nafula said.
Y News understands that Kenya sold about 340 metric tonnes of coffee in September 2023—a significant drop from the over 3,400 metric tonnes sold in September 2022.
Approximately 154 metric tonnes of the item were sold in August 2023, the lowest amount recorded for the period under consideration.
Coffee is a valuable commodity in Africa, particularly in the East. The Kenyan industry is renowned for its collaborative production method.
Arabica is the most common variety of coffee produced in the nation, a superior mild variety.
However, the farmers decried the lack of coffee milling firms as one of their biggest challenges.
“The biggest challenge in our coffee value chain is the lack of coffee milling firms. We need this to venture into foreign markets,” Otwane said.
The county government of Bungoma has already been promoting the Ruiru 11 coffee variety, Batian, and SL 7, among the best-performing varieties.
“Today, farmers growing sugarcane have realised the need to embrace coffee farming and are making a kill out of it. When you do cost-benefit and analysis, you find that a kilogramme of sugarcane is sold at Sh 50, but a kilogramme of coffee goes for an average of Sh60,” said Nafula.
Meanwhile, sales of more than 30.5 million kilogrammes of coffee at the NCE have generated more than Sh 17 billion during the current fiscal year.
Premier coffee grades AA and AB have seen increased sales at the auction, bringing in about Sh 11.7 billion for the year ending June 30.
Why Kenyan coffee farmers should be paid through dollar accounts
According to NCE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lisper Ndung’u, using DSS guarantees that purchasers make payments in the system following the auction.
Ndung’u said that the DSS transfers money to farmers’ accounts, guaranteeing prompt and transparent payment of coffee sales earnings.
The CEO said, “The system enhances farmers’ financial stability and trust in the trading process by reducing delays and financial mismanagement risks.”
According to Peter Gikonyo, chairman of the Kenya Coffee Producers Association, farmers must be paid through dollar accounts.
“Coffee regulations require payment in dollars, and many societies have their dollar accounts ready,” Gikonyo stated.
Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui has emphasised the DSS system in previous talks on coffee, pointing out that it has streamlined the market by instituting high professionalism in the industry.
According to Chelugui, the cooperative bank-controlled payment system has to guarantee that farmers and service providers receive their payments on schedule.
