Kirinyaga coffee production rises as farmers increase investment

An aerial view of coffee beans drying at Nyanja Coffee Factory in Kirinyaga County.

Coffee farmers in Kirinyaga are spending more on their farms as higher payments lift production, with 68 growers earning more than Sh1 million each last season.

The increase in investment comes as coffee deliveries rise at Baragwi Farmers’ Cooperative Society, with some growers who had cut back on the crop returning to their farms and spending more on fertiliser, pruning and crop protection.

Baragwi Deputy Manager Justus Janja said the society received about 10 million kilogrammes of coffee cherries in the 2023/24 season, 11 million in 2024/25 and 13 million in 2025/26.

The cooperative targets more than 16 million kilogrammes this season, Janja added, attributing the increase to cooperation between farmers, agronomists, factory staff and cooperative leaders as well as greater attention to coffee quality.

Kirinyaga’s coffee production also increased from 45,717 metric tonnes in 2024/25 to 49,100 metric tonnes in 2025/26, an increase of about 7 per cent.

At Nyanja Factory, production is projected to reach 1.2 million kilogrammes this season, up from about one million kilogrammes last year.

Factory manager Peter Gichovi said farmers are receiving training on modern production methods as they invest more in their farms.

“We have been improving for the last three years. Farmers are being trained on modern methods that can improve production,” Gichovi explained.

Nyanja paid Sh157.40 per kilogramme in the 2025/26 season, the highest factory rate reported in Kirinyaga. The county average rose to about Sh139 per kilogramme from Sh134 the previous season.

Gichovi said the factory aims to reach 1.5 million kilogrammes within three to five years as farmers improve crop management and increase investment.

The improved payments are also changing the approach of farmers who had reduced their involvement in coffee when returns were low.

“Now the farmer has interest in farming because of the good payment from coffee,” farmer Simon Muchira observed.

Muchira said some growers who had cut back on coffee are returning to their farms and spending more on fertiliser, pruning and crop protection.

He recalled periods when coffee prices were so low that farmers had little incentive to invest in their farms.

Retiree John Ndamberi said coffee income helped him educate his children and support his family after retirement.

Farmers in his area now earn between Sh130 and Sh150 per kilogramme, depending on their cooperative arrangements, Ndamberi noted.

The increase in production and payments comes as coffee cooperatives continue to face financial pressures, including historical debts that have affected farmers’ earnings.