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Coffee cooperatives have expressed confidence in the reforms being undertaken by the government, noting that they are long overdue.

Led by the National Coffee Cooperative Union (NACCU) chairman Francis Ngone, the cooperative union said the reforms will enhance production and earning.

Ngone, who called for more representation of smallholder farmers during policy formulation welcomed the move by the new Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (New-KPCU) board to work directly with coffee unions.

“Once we get the head of the holding, and start full implementation, there will be changes, with the legalised regulator coming on board,” he said.

The reforms are also expecteded to address huge price variations, which has seen farmers earn less for coffee they sell at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) against that sold at the New York exchange.

Streamline roles Ndone observed that whereas farmers sold the commodity at $180 (Sh(Sh22,311) at the NCE, the same was fetching $700 (Sh86,765) in New York. He said the reforms were also seeking to streamline the roles of each player in the sector, which he felt weighed heavily in favour of the marketer.

“If the reforms come into effect, the marketers will have a role they can play, but play it differently. What is major in the reforms is the issue of one person milling and sometimes involved in the production at society level taking the milling, taking the marketing and tyaking buying,” Ndone said.

NACCU is an umbrella body representing all the Coffee Cooperative unions across the Country. It draws its membership from all 31 coffee-growing counties in Kenya. Common challenges.

The Union was formed to enable members synergise their efforts when addressing common challenges as well as enabling them seize opportunities in production, processing, and marketing of coffee among other areas of common interest.