Kenya has signed a deal with a major coffee company to buy coffee directly from Kenyan farmers, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua announced Thursday.
In a Facebook post, Gachagua said the agreement between the Kenyan government and The Java Coffee Company in Rotselaar, Belgium, will source coffee straight from Kenyan smallholder farmers, with a focus on women.
“It is monumental outcome of our coffee reforms, with our farmers guaranteed better returns-without brokers and middlemen in the supply chain,” Gachagua wrote.
The deal involves the export of at least 700 tonnes of coffee initially. Gachagua called it a “milestone in restoring dignity to the farmer.”
“With such positive progress in the Coffee Reforms, we will return the crop to the top as the foreign exchange earner, for a stronger economy,” he wrote.
Gachagua thanked Java for the opportunity to “work with us in putting more money into the pocket of the farmer.”
The deal comes as Kenya seeks to overhaul its coffee sector by increasing prices paid to farmers. Kenyan coffee was once the country’s top foreign exchange earner, but mismanagement and corruption led to a decline in production and quality. The reforms aim to cut out middlemen and have farmers earn more of the profits.
The second in command is in Belgium to represent President William Samoei Ruto at the Gateway Summit on Digital Innovation, Green Energy, Transport, Healthcare and Education- organised by the European Union Commission.
He also negotiated a deal that saw Kenya receive a KES 11.5 billion grant from the European Union at the Global Gateway Forum 2023 held in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday.
The grant is part of the EU’s Multiannual Action Plan 2023-2024 under the Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instruments. The funds will support the implementation of priority projects focused on green transition, human development and democratic governance in Kenya.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua accepted the grant on behalf of President William Ruto and expressed gratitude to the EU for its financial commitment to Kenya’s development agenda.
The grant will fund projects under three key pillars: environmental sustainability and resilience as part of the green transition; human development and digital inclusion under the theme “Leave No One Behind”; and democratic governance, peace and stability.
