New KPCU unveils comprehensive plan to restore dignity and prosperity to Kenyan coffee farmers
Nairobi, Kenya – At the East African Coffee Markets & Conference held in October 2025 at Visa Oshwal Centre, the New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (New KPCU) presented an ambitious roadmap for coffee sector transformation, anchored on the principle that “prosperity must begin at the farm level.”
Speaking before distinguished guests, fellow sector leaders, and partners, New KPCU leadership outlined a multi-faceted strategy addressing the sector’s most pressing challenges while positioning Kenyan coffee for sustainable growth in global markets.
Financial empowerment: restoring dignity through fair payment
Central to the revitalization effort is the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund, which has already disbursed over Ksh 9.5 billion to more than 590,000 farmers. This innovative financing mechanism ensures immediate payment upon cherry delivery, combined with debt relief of Ksh 6.8 billion and affordable inputs through a Direct Settlement System (DSS).
“This is not just finance — it is restoring dignity where it matters most,” the union emphasized, highlighting how timely payments transform farmer livelihoods.
Ambitious Production and Revenue Targets
The strategic plan sets aggressive yet achievable targets:
- Production Growth: Increase from 51,852 MT (2021/22) to 151,000 MT by 2027/28
- Productivity Enhancement: Raise yields from 2kg/tree to 6kg/tree
- Revenue Expansion: Grow national coffee earnings from Ksh 35 billion in 2021/22 to Ksh 100 billion by 2028/29
- Farmer Income: Increase clean coffee payments from Ksh 86/kg in 2020/21 to Ksh 130/kg by 2028/29
Current projections show the 2024/25 season at 52,461 MT, indicating steady recovery after decades of decline.
Planting the Future: Comprehensive Production Support
The union’s production revitalization strategy includes:
- Seedling Distribution: Annual allocation of Ksh 500 million to distribute 20 million seedlings (Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, Robusta) by 2026
- Coffee Sensitization: Grassroots mobilization across 34 counties in all coffee-growing regions
- Ward Champions Program: Training two youth per coffee-growing ward (male and female) as coordinators and farmer trainers (ToTs), building grassroots leadership
- Factory Modernization: Upgrading facilities with advanced equipment to reduce costs, enhance quality, boost efficiency, and improve sustainability through pulping machinery, drying beds, and eco-pulper adoption
- Subsidized Inputs: Providing fertilizers and seedlings to boost production and replace aging trees
- Research and Innovation: Collaboration between New KPCU, CRI, and universities to develop climate-resilient varieties, tissue culture propagation, and innovation hubs for youth
A National Coffee Training Center has been established with funding through the Coffee Research and Training Institute for certification, traceability, sensory testing, and quality assurance systems meeting global benchmarks.
Marketing Innovation and Global Positioning
To enhance market access and value addition, the union is pursuing:
- Direct Sales Promotion: Empowering cooperatives and estates to bypass auctions and access global buyers directly through international marketing campaigns and Kenya Coffee Mark registration
- Diaspora Engagement: Promoting Kenyan coffee abroad through diaspora networks
- Strategic Warehousing: Establishing cupping centers and warehouses in Belgium, USA, China, and UAE for direct exports
- Market Diversification: Expanding access to South Korea, China, Middle East, and Europe
- Domestic Consumption: Promoting Coffee Days, barista training, duty-free coffee shops at airports, mobile “coffee-on-the-go” initiatives, and school coffee programs
- Exploitative Agent Revocation: Ensuring farmers benefit fully from their produce through direct market access
Institutional Strengthening and Digital Transformation
Recognizing that strong institutions underpin sector success, the strategy includes:
- New KPCU Revival: Positioning as the central vehicle for reforms in milling, marketing, farmer financing, and support
- CRI Collaboration: Partnering for research, extension services, agronomy training, and improved variety distribution
- Digitization: Introducing digital record-keeping, financial management tools, and online market platforms for cooperatives
- Governance Training: Providing cooperative leadership training in governance, financial management, and strategy
Social Inclusion and Capacity Building
The revitalization effort prioritizes inclusive growth through:
- Youth Recruitment: Training two youths per coffee-growing ward in farm preparation, agronomy, processing, and marketing
- Women and Youth Empowerment: Specialized programs including agronomy, entrepreneurship, barista training, and access to finance
- PWD Inclusion: Actively including persons with disabilities in cooperative activities and value chain roles
- Skills Development: Training in pruning, integrated pest management, data management, geospatial mapping, and financial literacy
Policy Reforms Driving Change
The transformation is anchored on farmer-centered policy reforms implemented following Executive Order No. 2 of 2023, which placed coffee reforms under direct presidential coordination. Key reforms include strengthening cooperative governance to enhance transparency and accountability, clarifying regulatory roles among County Governments, CMA, NCE, AFA, and millers, and establishing the National Steering Committee on Coffee Revitalisation.
As New KPCU noted at the conference, this comprehensive approach addresses Kenya’s coffee sector challenges holistically—from the farm to the cup, from local cooperatives to global markets.
“Kenyan Coffee is Kenyan Pride,” the union declared. “And Kenyan Pride must translate into farmer prosperity.”
With strategic investments in production, processing, marketing, and farmer empowerment, Kenya’s coffee sector stands poised for a remarkable transformation that could restore the country’s position as a premier global coffee origin while ensuring dignity and prosperity for hundreds of thousands of farming families.