A total of 21, 779 bags equivalent to 1, 340, 822 kilograms of coffee that were traded at Nairobi Coffee Exchange on Tuesday earned Sh. 1.3 billion.
The volume of coffee auctioned at Wakulima House in Nairobi in the sale 24 of the coffee season, marked a 23 percent decrease compared to 24, 206 bags traded last week.
The average price per bag of 50 kilograms rose slightly to Sh44,350, down from Sh. 43,962 realized in last week’s sale.
The average trading floor price equates to Sh136 per kilogram of cherry, with farmers expected to receive approximately Sh109 per kilogram.
Coffee from the Kangocho Factory which is part of Gikanda Farmers’ Cooperative Society in Nyeri County, secured top price of Sh. 59,736 per each of 10 bags of grade AA. The coffee was traded by Alliance Berries Ltd.
Other factories that achieved the best prices per bag of Grade AA are Chorongoi Sh. 54,080, Winchester Little Sh55,247, Ndiaini 56,332.50, and Ruara Sh. 56,203, among others.
In the market, the coffee brokers presented 3,534 bags of AA Grade at 18.7 percent and 5,353 bags of AB Grade accounting for 28 percent of total volume traded.
In the category of brokers, Kirinyaga Slopes Coffee Brokerage Company Ltd emerged as the top performer with the highest volume of 7,646 bags with value of Sh. 447 million, accounting for approximately 38 percent of the total sales value.
The company’s average price of Sh47,791 per bag of 50 kilograms was above the overall market average, with AA grade commanding their highest average price at Sh.51,787.
Alliance Berries Limited handled the second largest volume 5,701 bags weighing 351,570 kilograms with total sales of Sh279 million, though their overall average price was lower at Sh. 39,671 per bag.
Other participating brokers included New KPCU 3,040 bags, Minnesota Marketers 2,596 bags, KCCEMA 1,565 bags, Kipkelion 474 bags, Mt. Elgon 373 bags, CEBBA 340 bags and Bungoma Union with the smallest offering of 142 bags.
In the category of dealers Ibero Kenya Ltd dominated the market by purchasing 10,729 bags equivalent to 49.3 percent of total volume valued at Sh. 599.1 million, followed by Louis Dreyfus Company with 5,082 bags worth Sh238.7 million.
The top three dealers including C.Dorman Ltd accounted for over 80 percent of the total value.
In the sale, there were significant changes in dealer positions compared to the previous week, with Sondhi Trading Co. Ltd moving up to fourth place and Kenyacof Limited dropping to seventh.
Diamond Coffee Company appeared in the rankings while smaller dealers like Gracy Solutions Limited, Rosie Vam Dyke Company Ltd, and Rockbern Coffee Group Ltd collectively contributed less than 0.2 percent of the total transaction value.
By Bernard Munyao
