Farmers set to package coffee after acquiring mill

By Victor Nzuma

Coffee farmers in Machakos and Makueni counties will package their coffee locally after procuring their own mill. This was disclosed at a stakeholders’ meeting attended by more than one thousand farmers’ representatives in Machakos town.

The chairman of the Machakos Co-operative Union, Patrick Katingima, said the union has procured a mill from Brazil. The machine has already arrived at the Kilindini port.

REDUCE COSTS

He told the jubilant farmers that the mill would be up and working by next May. He added mill will reduce huge costs incurred by farmers as they took their coffee to Thika and other distant places for processing.

Mr Katingima said the union would float shares for all affiliated coffee co-operative societies in the two regions to raise funds for efficient take off of the machine.

It was reported the Machakos Cooperative Union had paid 30 per cent of the total price to the Brazilian company that sold the machine.

“The remaining 70 per cent is expected to be serviced by money from shares each society buys,’’ said the chairman. The 34 societies that make up the co-operative command a total membership of more than 160,000 farmers.

The mill will not only mill local coffee, but will be open to interested farmers including private planters.