Kenya seeks new coffee varieties to boost production
Research funding, seedling shortages and inadequate farm-level water infrastructure remain key challenges as industry leaders call for higher yields from existing plantations.
KENYA – Kenya is looking to develop and distribute improved coffee varieties to raise production, strengthen farm productivity and help growers adapt to climate change as it targets output of 150,000 metric tonnes.
Speaking at the East Africa Coffee Market & Conference (EACMC 2026), Coffee Board of Kenya Chairperson Henry Kinyua said researchers had developed varieties, but inadequate funding had delayed their release to farmers.
He said underinvestment in coffee research over the past two to three decades had constrained the development of varieties capable of improving yields and responding to climatic conditions.
“We have not been funding our research. We have not been producing new varieties as we should have been producing. However, the good thing is we now have new varieties that will be released to farmers soon,” Kinyua said.
One variety he highlighted was “Arabusta”, a hybrid combining Arabica and Robusta characteristics. Researchers at the Coffee Research Institute are working on it, alongside other planting materials requiring further support before release.
Kinyua said investment would accelerate research into varieties suited to rising temperatures and climate-related challenges. He added that the Coffee Act of 2026 provides funding for research and training, while establishing the Coffee Research and Training Institute as a standalone agency could help mobilise resources.
Kenya’s coffee production is projected at 60,000 metric tonnes in the 2025/2026 season, below the 150,000-tonne target. Kinyua said output could rise through higher productivity on existing farms and expansion into suitable growing areas.
Limited access to seedlings remains a constraint. Annual demand is estimated at 40 million, against production of about 10 million by research institutions and other nurseries. The shortfall affects efforts to replace ageing trees, establish plantations and introduce improved varieties.
Kinyua said average production remained around two kilogrammes per coffee bush, despite potential for improved yields with management. He recalled that Kenya achieved higher output per bush in the 1980s and said improved agronomic practices could restore productivity.
Kenya Airways board chairman Kiprono Kittony challenged researchers and industry stakeholders to explore ways to quadruple coffee production without expanding cultivated land.
“We need water at farm level. Reliable water supplies and better agronomic support are essential to raising yields from existing plantations,” Kittony said.
He said many smallholder farmers could not afford the water infrastructure needed to sustain crops and called for greater support from national and county governments.
Kittony urged growers to adopt scientific approaches, including soil analysis, assessing rainfall patterns and planning for water availability before planting.
“People think that growing coffee is a question of growing, buying a seedling, having a shamba, putting it in the soil. That is wrong. You must think through everything,” he said.
Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.
