Kenya intensifies coffee sector reforms to boost production
Kenya ramps up coffee reforms with funding, governance changes and seedling distribution to revive production and boost farmer incomes across traditional and emerging growing regions.
KENYA – Kenya has stepped up efforts to revive its coffee sector through a combination of policy reforms, farmer support initiatives and expansion into new growing regions, as the government seeks to restore production and improve farmer incomes.
Coffee remains one of the country’s key agricultural exports, but output has declined significantly over the years. Once ranked second in Africa during the 1980s, Kenya now stands fifth, prompting intervention from the Ministry of Cooperative and MSMEs Development.
The government has introduced the National Coffee Revival through the Cooperative Movement, a programme aimed at addressing structural challenges across the value chain.
Speaking in Loitoktok, Kajiado County, Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya said governance reforms within cooperatives are central to the recovery strategy.
“We already have a bill in Parliament; once this bill becomes a law, it will help us strengthen accountability and improve the management in this particular sector,” he said.
Oparanya added that the government has rolled out financial support mechanisms to boost farmer productivity.
“The government has also introduced the Cherry Fund to provide farmers with advance payments to support production and improve the quality of coffee for export,” he said.
He noted that marketing reforms have streamlined operations, ensuring each licensed player performs a single role, while farmers now receive payments within five days through a direct settlement system.
The government is also promoting expansion into non-traditional coffee-growing areas by distributing free seedlings to farmers.
“In addition, the government has invested in the distribution of seedlings to farmers, especially to non-traditional coffee growing regions, with free seedlings being issued this year to support expansion and improve yields,” Oparanya said.
New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union is leading farmer sensitisation and capacity-building programmes to promote best agronomic practices and strengthen market access.
Meanwhile, the Coffee Research Institute plans to distribute over 20 million certified seedlings to support the initiative.
The government aims to increase national coffee production from 50,000 to 150,000 metric tonnes by the 2028/2029 crop year as part of broader efforts to revitalise the sector.
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