We'll not blink until coffee farmers get better pay, says Gachagua

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has reiterated that the government is finalising modalities for releasing the enhanced coffee cherry advance revolving funds to farmers.

Gachagua revealed this during a meeting with Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and Micro  Small and Medium Enterprises Development Simon Chelugui and other stakeholders in the subsector on Tuesday.

The DP said the meeting was aimed at rolling out a raft of reforms aimed at revitalising the coffee sector.

“We don’t have any problem with anyone. The only problem is farmers should get what they deserve because they have been oppressed for a long time," he said.

He emphasised that he would not relent until the coffee farmers got what they deserved.

The DP stated that the quest for reviving the coffee sector and the efforts being put plus the unwavering support of President William Ruto will streamline the sector for the benefit of the farmers

Gachagua said the farmers had suffered for long under unscrupulous profiteers.

“The sweet aroma must be back to our coffee the way it was back in the 1970s and 1980s when coffee was the nation's leading foreign exchange earner, " he said.

The DP said there was no room for failure as the farmers were looking up to the government for better proceeds.

CAS  Chelugui on the other hand assured that they will ensure the deserving farmers benefited from the Cherry Fund.

The government set aside Sh4 billion to cushion coffee farmers from poor prices in a bid to assuage the Mt Kenya region.

The funds, which were approved by Cabinet early this month will see coffee prices increase from Sh20 per Kg to Sh80 per Kg through the Coffee Cherry Advance fund started in 2019.

Farmers have been complaining of poor coffee prices brought about by reforms in the sector.

Leaders from the region complained that the ground was turning to be hostile because of the government's punitive policies including numerous taxes targeting hustlers.

They are said to have confronted the President during last week's Parliamentary Group Meeting at State House and asked him to urgently intervene and salvage farmers' fortunes.