Farmers in Kirinyaga are missing out on billions in coffee earnings due to low production, industry leaders have said.
They have urged growers, especially in Kirintaga Central and Ndia constituencies, to expand cultivation and capitalise on record payouts.
National Coffee Cooperative Union (NACCU) chairman Felix Mwai said the two constituencies have immense potential to increase production and significantly raise farmers’ incomes through greater investment.
They, however, continue to lag behind Gichugu constituency, denying farmers an opportunity to benefit from the ongoing coffee boom that has transformed livelihoods across Kirinyaga county.
“Gichugu alone produced more than 34 million kilogrammes of coffee while Kirinyaga Central and Ndia combined produced only 16 million kilogrammes. The difference is huge and it translates directly to the income farmers take home,” Mwai said.
Coffee farmers in Kirinyaga continue to enjoy some of the highest payouts in the country, with cherry prices ranging between Sh120 and Sh157 per kilogramme in the latest payment cycle.
The county recorded a historic coffee payout of about Sh7.4 billion during the 2025/26 season, up from approximately Sh6.9 billion paid directly to farmers in the previous season.
Production also increased from 45.7 million kilogrammes to 49.1 million kilogrammes, cementing Kirinyaga’s position among Kenya’s leading coffee-producing counties.
Speaking during a farmers’ meeting, Mwai said coffee has become one of the most profitable sectors in the country due to improved management of cooperative societies, better governance and favourable market prices.
He noted that while farmers in Gichugu earned more than Sh5 billion from coffee sales, those in Kirinyaga Central and Ndia shared approximately Sh2 billion despite the two constituencies having a larger land area.
“Farmers who remained faithful to coffee are now celebrating. The returns have never been this good and the opportunity is still available for those who want to join the sector,” he said.
The continued preference for maize farming in parts of Ndia and Kirinyaga Central is limiting household incomes at a time when coffee is generating unprecedented returns.
Mwai said a quarter-acre piece of land planted with maize can produce about four bags of 90 kilogrammes each, generating relatively low earnings.
The same parcel, he said, can accommodate about 204 coffee bushes capable of earning a farmer more than Sh200,000 in a single season under current payout rates.
He singled out Baragwi Farmers Cooperative Society as one of the county’s success stories after producing about 13 million kilogrammes of coffee and generating nearly Sh2.9 billion for its members.
Mwai attributed the sector’s strong performance to reforms that have strengthened cooperative societies and improved transparency in the management of farmers’ earnings.
Data from the Nairobi Coffee Exchange indicates that the county was among the top earners during the 2024/25 coffee year, generating nearly Sh5 billion from coffee sales in the first seven months alone while contributing a significant share of national production.
“Today we have enough coffee seedlings in our societies and any farmer willing to venture into coffee can access them. What we need is for more farmers to make the decision to switch from low-return crops and take advantage of the opportunities available in coffee farming,” Mwai said.
His call comes amid renewed optimism in the coffee sector, with rising payouts encouraging more farmers to rehabilitate neglected coffee farms and expand acreage under the crop.
