Farmers in western Kenya have been urged to consider coffee farming as a source of income amid government reforms which continue to offer famers better returns.
Speaking in Busia County, Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya encouraged farmers to shift to coffee cultivation to improve their livelihoods.
“For a long time, the Western region has relied on sugarcane and maize, but the returns have gone down. Our climate is favourable for coffee farming, which has much higher returns. One acre of coffee can yield more than Ksh 1 million within 2 to 3 years, making it a profitable venture,” said Oparanya.
According to official data, total coffee production rose by 3.8pc to 51, 400 tonnes last year from 49, 500 recorded in 2024.
Cooperatives accounted for the largest portion of coffee produced after rising by 5.4pc to 36,800 tonnes while estates production remained stagnant at 14,600 tonnes.
Opranya noted that the government has heavily invested in promoting coffee farming through the provision of seedlings and training of extension officers to support farmers.
“We are training two extension officers from every ward in the country to guide and monitor coffee farmers. We have also distributed seedlings to many farmers to encourage coffee production,” he added.
The overall area under coffee expanded by 400 hectares to 113, 900 hectares as area under cooperatives increased from 85,000 hectares in 2023/24 to 85,300 hectares in 2024/25.
Oparanya further revealed that plans are underway to register a cooperative SACCO in the Western region to empower farmers economically.
“We want to establish a strong cooperative in Western Kenya with over 300,000 members by December and eventually expand it nationwide to one million members. Through this cooperative, farmers will be able to address challenges such as school fees and SHA payments,” he said.
During the sensitisation, the he distributed coffee seedlings to the farmers and assured the government commitment to ensure the farming has been supported.
