Farmers demand findings of President Uhuru’s coffee task force

Farmers in Mt Kenya region are demanding release of findings from a Task Force appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta on coffee

The farmers wondered why the findings were still being kept secret even after the task force appointed on March 19 completed its work and handed over its recommendations to the government.
The 19 man task force was led by Professor Joseph Kieya as its Chairman and completed its work on April 23.
On Thursday, the Growers under the National Small and Medium Scale Coffee Farmers Association said the delay in releasing the report was causing anxiety in the sector.
Through the Association Secretary Njiru Kathangu, the farmers also took issue with the Sh 2.4 billion bailout the government had injected into the sector wondering which coffee society gets what and the formula to share the money.
''Let the government declare which coffee cooperative societies, from which areas and how much they should get and the criteria to determine the amount since farmers have been left in the dark about the billions ,'' Kathangu said.
Speaking at a press conference in Kerugoya town, the farmers also insisted the payments of cherry per kilogram of crop should be pegged between Sh 200 – Sh 500 short of which the sector will remain on shaky grounds.
The growers however said they were grateful to the Head of State for waving the 4 per cent cess previously charged on the crop.
Others at the press conference included the association chairman Gachari Njogu and the Organising Stephen Muthomi who represented farmers from Muranga , Nyeri Kirinyaga , Tharaka-Nithi and Meru Counties.