Marketer links coffee woes to poor quality, low production

NYERI, KENYA: A Kenyan coffee marketer has blamed poor quality and low production on woes facing local coffee farmers.
Chania Coffee dealers noted that due to frustrations that include poor proceeds, farmers have lacked seriousness that is needed to produce high quality coffee which would fetch premium prices in the European markets.
Mr Kagiri Mugo, a programme director with Kedovo, a subsidiary of Chania coffee noted that consumers in Europe scout for best coffee, which local farmers are not able to produce.
"We get direct markets for coffee farmers and we link them with roasters from Germany, but we are getting a challenge in the quality of beans that our farmers produce," said Mugo.
Mugo said that Chania Coffee sells an average of three containers with about 2.25 tonnes to German market every year.
"But still, the challenge we get is in the quality of coffee that we send to German since it does not reach the quality threshold that Europeans yearn for. Kenyan farmers should exert some seriousness and produce high quality coffee, which will in turn give them better proceeds," said Mugo.
He also called on the government to provide farmers with subsidised fertilisers and chemicals so as to help them overcome huge costs of producing coffee.