The Nandi County Government is establishing a coffee milling plant worth KSh60 million to facilitate the production and processing of the cash crop.
According to Hillary Serem, the county government’s coffee milling plant will become operational later this month as electricity installation continues.
The coffee milling plant will cater for the requirements of the cash crop producers, improve production, and elevate livelihood standards in the region.
As part of the ongoing Dollar Mashinani campaigns, the county government will inaugurate a coffee value addition facility that will benefit more than 60 cooperative societies.
“Coffee milling machines are among projects that have already been completed, and what is remaining is operational logistics and the factory management,” Serem said yesterday.
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Nandi South, a prominent coffee-growing area in the county, has seen local farmers shift away from the cash crop due to unfavorable market conditions.
Coffee farmers have been sending their cherries outside the county to utilize modern processing facilities, which they found expensive.
Governor Stephen Sang attributed the coffee’s subpar production to inadequate processing equipment and suboptimal cherry handling.
“The modern milling facility will be affordable and efficient in producing quality brands. It will also enhance value addition to meet foreign market standards,” he said.
Recently, the national government has initiated reforms to mitigate the ailing coffee subsector.
Governor Sang said it is a sigh of relief to farmers in Nandi after years of grappling with exploitative markets in Nairobi.
“Coffee farming is adversely affected by poor prices and unscrupulous brokers,” he said.
By Frank Mugwe
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