Machakos coffee farmers have something to smile about after the Department of Agriculture in the county government and LECOM (Lower Eastern Coffee Millers) partnered with south Koreans for the export of coffee.
Speaking to Mauvoo News, Chairman of Agriculture Committee in Machakos County Assembly Moses Mitaa noted that the South Koreans had a meeting with various representatives from coffee factories in Machakos county and came to an agreement that the coffee produced in Machakos county would be directly sold to South Korea.
Mitaa noted that this was a way of ensuring that coffee farmers would not be paid the meager payment they were receiving of 10-25 shillings per kilo but 50 shillings per kilo.
“We are happy to inform coffee farmers that we have met with a South Korean investor who has promised to buy our coffee. He met with representatives from various coffee factories in the county, and now our factory LECOM (Lower Eastern Coffee Millers) has been given the go-ahead to process coffee that is of the standard to export,” Mitaa said.
“My happiness is that gone are the days that coffee farmers will be frustrated by the little pay they get from their produce because now with this new investor we shall be selling our coffee directly to South Korea with no brokers and through this the value of our coffee will go up,” he added.
He further called on the farmers that had deserted coffee farming to start planting it again as they would benefit from it. Mitaa also promised that fertilizer and pesticides would be issued to the farmers by the county government at a subsidized price.
“We have a revolving fund that will be assisting farmers wherever they are to get pesticides and fertilizers to assist in the coffee farming and because their coffee will be bought by the county government, that can be deducted from their earnings,” Mitaa revealed.