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Kenyan Govt to Launch Online Platform for Selling Farmers’ Produce
The Kenyan Government is planning something new for farmers. They will soon launch an online platform for selling farmers’ produce, starting with coffee. This is a big step to help farmers sell their coffee without middlemen and cartels taking a large share of their earnings.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya spoke about this plan on Wednesday. They said the new Kenyan Govt online platform for selling farmers’ produce will connect coffee farmers directly to buyers inside and outside Kenya. This will happen through a digital auction, so everything will be clear and fair.
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The government wants to make sure farmers get real value for their hard work. For too long, cartels and brokers have controlled the coffee prices, leaving farmers with less money than they deserve. Kagwe said, “Marketing cannot be done the same way year after year and expect different results; it’s madness.” He added that with this new system, cartels will no longer hold the market hostage. Technology will help bring better prices and fairness to farmers.
The online platform will be managed through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. This means buyers from around the world can join the auction and compete to buy Kenyan coffee. This increased competition should help farmers get better prices. This move by the Kenyan Government to launch an online platform for selling farmers’ produce is expected to rebuild trust in Kenya’s coffee market and help farmers get a fair share.
Last year, Kenya earned 40 billion Kenyan shillings from coffee exports, but that is far less than the 100 billion reached in the 1980s. Kagwe said this drop happened because of low production, bad management, and brokers cheating farmers. To fix this, the government has a big plan to improve coffee growing.
The plan wants to increase the coffee farm areas, improve the amount of coffee produced by each tree from 3 kilos to 30 kilos, and send experts from local colleges to teach and support farmers. This will not only help farmers grow more coffee but also help them grow better quality coffee.
Cooperatives CS Oparanya said the goal is to triple coffee production in three years, from 50,000 metric tonnes to 150,000 metric tonnes. He shared that they are already working with farmers in 22 counties and modernizing over a thousand cooperative factories to process coffee better. Oparanya also said more seedlings are being produced to meet the growing number of farmers who want to start growing coffee again.
He stressed that the reforms must always focus on the farmer. This is the only way to make sure that coffee farming grows in a way that lasts.
Kenya will also share these ideas at the World Food Forum in Rome next week. Kagwe said they will ask for African coffee markets to be allowed to work independently. This will help farmers earn more and help Africa compete better in the world.
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The launch of the Kenyan Govt online platform for selling farmers’ produce is a hopeful change for coffee farmers. It promises more fairness, better prices, and stronger coffee farms. This new way of selling will help farmers keep more of their income and may inspire other farming areas to do the same.
By using technology and cutting out greedy middlemen, this platform will give farmers a better chance to succeed. It is a clear sign that the government wants to support those who feed the country and the world.
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