Market News

High Cost of Fertilizers And Erratic Rainfall To Affect Coffee Production

BY Jane Muia · March 23, 2022 03:03 pm

KEY POINTS

The country is facing stiff competition from the neighboring countries mainly Uganda and Ethiopia which are registering 300,000 and 500,000 metric tonnes respectively annually.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A 50 kg bag of fertilizer is retailing at Sh6,000 in most regions, a situation that has been attributed to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID 19 impacts.

Kenya Coffee Producers Association (KCPA) chairman Peter Gikonyo has warned that the high cost of farm inputs and delayed rainfall are likely to affect coffee production.

According to Kenya Coffee Producers Association (KCPA) and Kenya Coffee Platform (KCP), the delayed rains have already affected flowering which will, in turn, affect the quality of the bean leading to poor yield.

Speaking on Monday during an advocacy and lobbying training by coffee producers in East and Central Africa, Gikonyo said the likely production decrease might affect Kenya’s share in the international market. He added that most farmers are unable to purchase fertilizers due to the surging price of the commodity in the recent tough economic times.

A 50 kg bag of fertilizer is retailing at Sh6,000 in most regions, a situation that has been attributed to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID 19 impacts.

Karugu Macharia from the Kenya Coffee Platform (KCP) said farmers have enjoyed good prices in recent years, but production is still low.

“We have witnessed a continuous decline of the production since 1988 to date although farmers have enjoyed impressive prices over the years,” he said.

According to Karugu, Kenya has registered a 70 percent decline from 130,000 metric tonnes in the 1987/88 coffee year to around 40,000 metric tonnes in 2020/21 coffee year.

The country is facing stiff competition from the neighboring countries mainly Uganda and Ethiopia which are registering 300,000 and 500,000 metric tonnes respectively annually.

Last month cabinet secretary for Agriculture Peter Munya launched the Coffee Farm Inputs Subsidy Programme that would see coffee farmers benefit from a 40 percent discount on-farm inputs. The program implemented by the New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (New KPCU) will additionally see all coffee farmers issued with a card that they will use to buy fertilizer or pesticides from accredited suppliers.

The commodity’s production in the country has been dropping as farmers in coffee-growing regions opt for other crops that they deem seemingly sustainable. Some have invested in avocado as others farm macadamia.

Then there are those who sell their lands and have coffee plantations cleared for real estate projects due to various challenges.

Kenya averagely produces 800,000 bags of coffee annually, according to the International Coffee Organization.

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