Coffee Farmers in Trans Nzoia County have been challenged to take advantage of the national government funds set aside through the new Kenya Planters cooperative Union (KPCU) to augment their coffee farming in the region.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Kitale National Show, the new county KPCU representative Moses Wandwasi noted that the government has earmarked a coffee kitty called cherry fund, meant to cushion coffee farmers against delayed payments after their sales.
“We are advising farmers on how they can benefit through the coffee cherry fund, aimed at boosting coffee farmers in the country,” he said.
The KPCU representative confirmed that more than Sh40 million have so far been absorbed by coffee farmers in Trans Nzoia, adding that at least 15,000 bags of fertilizer have been distributed to farmers across the county.
He revealed that at least 3000 registered coffee farmers in the area out of their total number of 6000 have benefited from the initial 90 million.
Wandwasi said this fund will allow coffee farmers to earn stipends from their day to day venture as they await payments of coffee deliveries to the market.
He further said that the national government has also set aside another fund to help the coffee farmers purchase farm inputs, whereby they can apply for the same from the new KPCU at a subsidized rate, with the farmer paying 60 per cent of the market value of the product, while the national government pays the remaining 40 per cent.
Wandwasi noted that such interventions will in the long run see farmers at the grassroots level escalate to the required standards of coffee farming.
The KPCU representative asked farmers to visit their exhibition stand at the ongoing Kitale national show to learn more on proper coffee management skills of their farms, harvesting and processing, up to the table cups.
“We have also brewed Trans Nzoia made coffee whereby we ensure that every farmer or visitor who pay a visits to our stand gets to taste our home made coffee that is being blended by coffee from other parts of the world because of its good quality,” Wandwasi added.
By Kosuri Valarie
