High demand due to drop in production raises coffee earnings

Coffee management services Managing Director Kamau Kuria (centre) and Murue coffee society chairman John Maruku during the opening of Sh8.9 million office block at Kavutiri in Embu County. (PHOTO: JOSEPH MUCHIRI/STANDARD)

Coffee farmers are set to cash in on higher prices following a drop in production owing to the December 2015 El Nino rains.

Coffee Management Services (CMS) Managing Director Kamau Kuria said the rains adversely affected coffee flowers and berries, leading to low production and a corresponding increase in demand.

Kuria told farmers at Murue Coffee Factory in Embu East Sub-county to target foreign markets to get a better price for their crop.

He said products from the region can now be sold overseas because local coffee societies had been certified to guarantee high quality beverages.

Kuria was speaking yesterday when he opened the factory's offices built at a cost of Sh8.9 million by CMS and Nestle Kenya.