The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA)-Coffee Directorate and the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (KEPROBA) have signed a collaboration agreement that will see the two agencies coordinate Kenya’s marketing efforts in emerging and established coffee markets.
The two agencies have been actively working together to roll out trade promotion initiatives to expand and diversify Kenya’s coffee into key export markets, aiming for a 25% annual growth in exports, as outlined in the Integrated National Export Development and Promotion Strategy (INEDPS).
A statement to newsrooms indicates that Kenyan coffee exports have seen variations since 2016, largely due to reduced productivity. This decline is linked to shrinking coffee-growing areas as land use has shifted, coupled with rising production costs, unpredictable coffee prices, and inconsistent weather patterns. Additionally, 97% of Kenya’s coffee has been exported as raw green beans, with the country heavily depending on traditional markets, leading to a decrease in total revenue.
“This collaboration aligns our goals with KEPROBA’s export promotion efforts, to tackle key challenges related to capacity building, broadening Kenya’s export range, product development and market access. The partnership will equip local coffee producers with the skills, knowledge and opportunities needed to succeed in the global market,” said Floice Mukabana, KEPROBA’s CEO.
The collaboration aims to enhance Kenya’s coffee value chain for increased participation in export trade, boosting the country’s contribution to national development and economic transformation.
The Director General, AFA, Dr. Bruno Linyiru noted that with the collaboration agreement in place, the teams will implement a coordinated approach towards marketing of Kenyan coffee locally and internationally.
“Apart from promoting Kenyan coffee internationally, we need to encourage local consumption of coffee. Looking at leading coffee producing countries such as Ethiopia and Columbia, drinking coffee is part of their local culture. We need to do this in Kenya as coffee is a key product,” he said.
The parties agreed to work closely with coffee industry stakeholders to organize and participate in joint integrated marketing and communications initiatives including expos, trade fairs, buyer-seller meetings, origin trips or trade missions both locally and internationally with the intention of creating market linkage for Kenyan producers and exporters.
Key areas of collaboration include market research and intelligence where both parties will share data to guide producers in shaping effective export strategies, capacity building to empower coffee producers to meet international market standards and integrate into the export trade.
The Agencies will also develop and promote a unified Kenyan coffee brand.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
