Coffee Farming Gains Momentum in Uasin Gishu
By Gladys Yator | NAIROBI,
Over 300 coffee farmers in Uasin Gishu County have undergone one-day training on how to grow high-value coffee as part of efforts to revive the crop in the region.
According to the Chairman of NICE, Titus Kipkoech, the organization is working closely with the Coffee Research Institute (CRI), which conducts research on high-yield coffee varieties. Kipkoech said that coffee, as a commercial crop, fetches better prices in the international market compared to many other crops.
“For instance, a kilo of coffee can fetch about six dollars depending on the market price,” he said.
Speaking to the media in Eldoret, Kipkoech added that the organization is partnering with the Uasin Gishu County Government to develop and distribute free coffee seedlings as an incentive aimed at reviving the cultivation of the cash crop.
A spot check by the press revealed that the county government has been actively sensitizing farmers on the need to diversify and reduce over-reliance on cereal farming.
One of the farmers, John Kurui, said many farmers are waiting to receive coffee seedlings and are also looking to learn from those who have already completed two to three harvests before venturing into the crop themselves.
Coffee stakeholders say the move is intended to help farmers reap better returns from agriculture, noting that uncertainties in cereal farming have pushed many to consider coffee cultivation.
Another farmer, Margaret Chemutai from Kesses, said that although she grows maize, she acknowledges that coffee farming offers better returns. She advised farmers to diversify their activities, noting that coffee is easier to manage since it is planted once and continuously tended—unlike maize, which must be planted every season.
