On Thursday, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met to talk about Kenya’s coffee access to the US market.
Gachagua, who hosted Whitman at his Karen residence, stated that their conversations were productive.
“I held further discussions with Whitman and her team, to agree on a roadmap and timelines of directly accessing the US market for our coffee farmers.
“We are making headway,” he said.
Whitman and Gachagua’s talks
Simon Chelugui, the CS for Cooperatives, and Rebecca Miano, the CS for Trade, were also in attendance.
According to Gachagua, Kenya wants to sell its coffee directly to the US, Germany, and other lucrative markets.
He said that this is a component of continuing reforms that link farmers with consumers for higher profits.
According to Gachagua, Kenya has already began meaningful discussions with the United States.
The endeavor, which aims to eliminate brokers from the supply chain, will be actualized, he said, adding that no amount of blackmail will be able to stop the reforms.
Coffee reforms
This comes barely a month after his visit to South American country Columbia in effort to market the cash crop.
He stated that involving stakeholders in high-value markets is one of the strategies they have used to accomplish this.
“Coffee reforms are steadily on track. Our farmers must earn what they deserve – more money in their pockets. One of the strategies of doing so is engaging high-value markets for better prices,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua was tasked by President William Ruto to lead the sub-sector reforms in the country.
The DP stated in August that frameworks to assist reforms in the coffee subsector will be available by the end of this year.
He stated that the government plans to restore the Coffee Board of Kenya and the Coffee Research Institute in addition to other institutional reforms.
Along with that, the New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union will be strengthened.
