Arabika Data and Resources
7 Counties
How coffee sector is run by cartels and what DP Gachagua should do
While coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, our coffee production has plummeted from a high of 130,000 tonnes in 1988 to a low of 34,000 tonnes in 2021 and 51, 583 tonnes last year. Today, we rank number five in Africa in terms of production.
Farmers to sell coffee directly through NCE
Farmers will now be allowed to sell their coffee directly through the auction after the State moved to cut off the brokers blamed for profiteering.
This follows the reopening of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) auction on Tuesday, a month after it was suspended following confusion over the issuance of trading licences by the government
Coffee prices dip, layoffs loom amid Rigathi Gachagua reforms
The volume and prices of coffee sold at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) have fallen sharply as traders and buyers kept off the market amid looming worker layoffs by processors as confusion over the issuance of trading permits by the State intensified.
State investigates 'missing' coffee as millers hold over 100,000 bags
As the government takes the battle to the cartels it accuses of choking the lucrative coffee sector, teams of detectives and State spies have been dispatched to a number of millers across the country. The spies and the sleuths are part of a multi-agency team trying to unravel the mystery of the whereabouts of large amount of coffee at a time when the Nairobi Coffee Exchange has been starved of the commodity
Arabika Project Newsletter- Jan-July 2023
It's wonderful to hear about the progress and successes that have been achieved in the coffee value chain, particularly through the ARABIKA Project. Celebrating these achievements is indeed important, as it reflects the positive impact on both the industry and the lives of the people involved. The empowerment of women and youth in managerial roles and the improvements in coffee production are significant milestones. It's also commendable that seven Counties have been positively impacted, with the establishment of equipped laboratories to enhance coffee quality. These initiatives not only support the local coffee industry but also contribute to the development of skills and knowledge in coffee tasting. While challenges are inevitable, it's inspiring to see ARABIKA's unwavering commitment to addressing and overcoming them. Challenges in any sector can be seen as opportunities for growth and transformation, and it's evident that ARABIKA is taking this perspective to heart in Kenya and beyond.
Nyeri International Coffee Expo Kicks Off With World Dealers Visiting
The two-day Nyeri International Coffee Expo (NICE) being held at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology has attracted over 20 international coffee buyers.
The NICE Chief Executive Solomon Mburu said the event sought to connect Nyeri farmers with direct international buyers killing the middlemen and making the farmers smile all the way to the bank.
Nairobi Coffee Exchange: Surge in auction volumes signals sector recovery
After a prolonged period of low activity with millers and cooperatives shying away from the auction, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) is experiencing a resurgence in coffee volumes presented at its auctions.
Over the last four weekly auctions, a notable influx of buyers has been observed, attributing the success to the stability backed by government support.
Insiders in the coffee sector note an increase in cooperatives and estates participating in the auction, a positive shift from the low volumes reported in August and Septembe
This is how State can ensure coffee farmers get good prices
The coffee sub-sector is now different for three main reasons. One, the volumes of coffee traded at the auction, two the prices being realised and finally the players. This started in 2019 when coffee regulations were drafted aimed at addressing the many challenges faced by farmers.
Farmers have always complained of multiple licensing in the sector. This has the probability of causing a conflict of interest. Multiple licensing is where a company gets a coffee dry milling license, gets a warehousing license, a coffee marketing license and finally a coffee buying license
How Meru coffee farmer gets over 100kgs per tree from his bushes
As coffee farmers break their backs on their farms to produce an average of three kilograms from a single tree, Charles Mutwiri is an exception.
Through his Mukarimu Coffee Estate in Meru County, the 62-year-old has over 20,000 bushes in different parcels of land spread across Imenti.
Mutwiri made a good impression when Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who was attending the Coffee Summit in Meru recently, visited his farm to learn how he has achieved success in coffee farming.
Italy support to revamp the Kenyan coffee sector
The Italian government is committed to using its expertise in revamping the coffee sector in Kenya. Speaking at his official residence, the Italian Ambassador to Kenya Roberto Natali said that coffee constitutes a symbol and an excellent example of the strong cooperation which exists between the two countries.
The envoy said he was pleased and honoured to host the event on the revamping of the coffee value chain in Kenya through a project dubbed, Arabika, “from bean to cup”
Coffee prices dip, layoffs loom amid Rigathi Gachagua reform
The volume and prices of coffee sold at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) have fallen sharply as traders and buyers kept off the market amid looming worker layoffs by processors as confusion over the issuance of trading permits by the State intensified.
The dismal performance at the NCE coincides with reforms under the stewardship of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who oversaw the relaunch of the exchange in mid-August
Anxiety as CS Mithika Linturi blocks four companies’ direct coffee sale deal
A fresh row is brewing in the coffee sector after Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi suspended plans by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to issue direct sales permits to four companies
Coffee farmers net Sh292 million from weekly sale at city auction
Coffee farmers made Sh292.4 million ($1,922,480.26) from the sale of 534,808kg of coffee through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) on Wednesday.
In the sale where 429 cooperatives and estates delivered 8,676 bags of coffee, New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (NKPCU) and Alliance Berries Limited delivered 5,359 bags from 215 cooperatives and estates.
Coffee quality, not brokers determine how much money farmers get
Kenyan coffee farmers have faced challenges since the late 1980s. They have received promises from the time the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) was automated to deal with price fixing cartels coffee through to when marketing was liberalised to enable them sell their coffee.
Farm-level value addition will give coffee farmers good returns
In Kenya, coffee is produced in two main systems - the smallholder and the estates. The estates process their coffee into parchment while the smallholders join cooperative societies where the coffee is processed.
Murang'a farmers beat brokers to mill, market their coffee
Over 110,000 coffee farmers from Murang’a will process and market their produce following commissioning of their factory.
Farmers from 56 co-operative societies started construction of Murang’a Coffee Mills in 2021. The factory will aggregate and add value to their coffee while doing away with middlemen.
The mill has the capacity to process over 1.5 tonnes of coffee per hour and will serve a catchment of about 22, 500 acres of coffee.
State considering debt waiver, Gachagua tells coffee farmers
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has told coffee farmers the government could consider waiver of debts as part of a range of solutions to their financial challenges.
The Deputy President said the government will not relent in the ongoing reforms in the sub-sector and that more will be done to boost income in the coffee industry.
His assurance comes one month after a section of leaders from coffee-growing counties called on the government to consider bailing them out of debt.
Sh3.8bn coffee funds disbursed to over 300,000 beneficiaries in four months
The latest data on the implementation of the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund (CCARF) has revealed significant progress with Sh3.8 billion being disbursed within four months of its launch.
The data reveals that 313,294 beneficiaries have so far benefited from the Sh4.2 billion fund.
Beneficiaries from Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Kericho and Murang'a are the top earners currently.
Murang'a farmers beat brokers to mill, market their coffee
Over 110,000 coffee farmers from Murang’a will process and market their produce following commissioning of their factory.
Farmers from 56 co-operative societies started construction of Murang’a Coffee Mills in 2021. The factory will aggregate and add value to their coffee while doing away with middlemen.
The mill has the capacity to process over 1.5 tonnes of coffee per hour and will serve a catchment of about 22, 500 acres of coffee.
Arabika Project Newsletter : August - December 2023
Kenya economy edges up to 5.6pc in 2023
Coffee milling is no hard science, farmers should do it themselves
If there was a time the coffee sector was treated to major reforms it is this year and last year, thanks to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Hard decisions had to be made, sometimes making industry experts wonder whether we are headed in the right direction.
The sector has been taken back to where it was several years ago when most of the coffee used to be milled by the farmers-owned Kenya Planters’ Cooperative Union (KPCU).
Farmers rake in Sh471m at auction as coffee trading year opens
The Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) traded 11,480 bags of coffee during the weekly auction, earning farmers Sh471.2 million.
During the first auction of the 2024-2025 coffee trading financial year on Tuesday, 60 per cent of the deliveries consisted of grades AA and AB.
Boost for coffee exporters as EU defers deforestation rules
Boost for coffee exporters as EU defers deforestation rules
Coffee lowers risk of heart problems and early death, study says, especially ground and caffeinated
Drinking two to three cups a day of most types of coffee may protect you from cardiovascular disease and an early death, a new study found. The results suggest that mild to moderate intake of ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle