The government has announced plans to launch Kenya’s first online platform for selling farmers’ produce, starting with the coffee sector, in a major move aimed at eliminating cartels and middlemen who have been exploiting farmers for years.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, alongside his Cooperatives counterpart Wycliffe Oparanya, revealed that the online system will link Kenyan coffee farmers directly to both local and international buyers through a digital auction.
Speaking on Wednesday, the two CSs stated that the initiative seeks to introduce transparency and efficiency in the coffee trade, ensuring farmers receive fair value for their produce.
At the same time, they warned that the government would take stern action against individuals and cartels who have been manipulating prices and denying farmers full returns.
''Marketing cannot be done the same way year after year and expect different results; it’s madness,'' said Kagwe.
Adding that: ''We have agreed that the auction must go online, allowing international buyers to participate directly. Cartels will no longer hold the market hostage. Technology will deliver transparency and better prices for our farmers.''
According to the government, the digital transformation, expected to be rolled out through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, will open Kenya’s coffee market to buyers worldwide. This, Kagwe said, will not only increase competition but also restore confidence in the country’s coffee trading system.
Meanwhile, Kagwe noted that Kenya earned Ksh40 billion from coffee exports last year, far below the Ksh100 billion peak achieved in the 1980s, attributing this decline to low productivity, mismanagement, and exploitation by brokers.
To address this, the government is introducing a comprehensive revitalisation programme that will include expanding acreage to new coffee-growing zones, improving productivity per tree from 3 kilos to 30 kilos, and deploying agricultural extension officers from local colleges to train and support farmers.
On his part, Oparanya said the revitalisation plan aims to triple Kenya’s coffee production from 50,000 metric tonnes to 150,000 metric tonnes within three years.
He noted that the Ministry has already engaged farmers in 22 counties and is modernising 1,176 cooperative factories to boost processing capacity.
The Cooperatives CS added that seedling production is being scaled up through New KPCU and other agencies to meet rising demand as more farmers return to coffee farming. ''The reforms must place the farmer at the centre of every decision. This is the only way to ensure that growth is sustainable,'' he stated.
Kagwe further revealed that Kenya will table proposals at the World Food Forum in Rome next week, calling for Africa’s coffee markets to operate independently to enhance farmer earnings and strengthen the continent’s global competitiveness.
