NAIROBI – The Kenya Coffee Producers and Traders Association wants coffee laws to be reviewed.
The head of the communications at the KCPTA Sylvester Odhiambo said the marketing and trading of coffee needs to be revamped to ensure farmers are the main beneficiaries of exports.
“The current system benefits multinational traders at the expense of coffee farmers are living in abject poverty,” Odhiambo said.
He said most multinational companies dealing in coffee are licensed as millers and coffee buyers and therefore defraud farmers.
“The licensing fees for new coffee buyers are also high, creating a major setback for many local entrepreneurs” Odhiambo said.
He said county governments should understand coffee marketing models and use them to sell the produce and advocate for the creation of rules under the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority Act that will secure the farmers’ interests.
The chairman of the association Humphrey Karanja said farmers are not represented in the Coffee Board of Kenya and this has left them vulnerable to exploitation.
Source: AllAfrica
