The County Government of Kiambu has partnered with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in efforts to revitalize Coffee farming in the county, targeting foreign markets.
The project dubbed- Action to Re-Launch Agriculture and Branding Internationalization of Kenyan Coffee, in and out of Africa (ARABIKA) involves revitalizing coffee farming, by supporting farmers to improve quality and yields through training and value addition that will ensure better incomes.
ARABIKA initiative which is a 3-year project is being implemented in seven counties namely Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Machakos, Embu, Tharaka Nithi and Meru counties since they account for 70 per cent of the coffee produced in the country.
According to Giovanni Grand, the head of the programme, the programme was first implemented by the former government in 2021 and will run to 2024. He further lauded the new county Government for picking up the Coffee revitalization programme which is now in its second phase.
“The emphasis of this programme is on youth and women, alongside increasing returns to primary coffee producers and boosting the county’s economy” said Grand.
He added that the project cost a total of Sh1.5 billion with already about 30,000 farmers having benefited from phase one of the project.
“We have a total of 21 coffee cooperatives from the seven counties that have benefited from the project and about 84 Managers who have received training and mentorship for the program” he added.
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi on his part said he is ready to partner with investors and well-wishers to revive the coffee sector and make it lucrative for farmers in Kiambu.
“Our aim is to increase the county’s coffee production while adhering to high quality of the cherries to enable them fetch better prices in markets in and out of Africa” he said.
Wamatangi added that the county has a lot of potential in Coffee farming hence his government will ensure farmers get the right farming information, inputs and market for their produce.
“Through such programmes we will be giving our farmers extension services to ensure that they get knowledge on better farming practices to ensure their land produces maximally for more earnings,” added the county boss.
Kiambu still remains the county with the highest production volume of coffee in Kenya despite pressures from real estates and other competing agricultural enterprises with approximately 9.8 million metric tons produced in the area every year out of, roughly 45 million metric tons produced in the whole country annually.
By Grace Naishoo
