Coffee farmers in Baringo County will have the option of selling their produce in South Korea after the county government sealed an export deal with the Asian country.
Baringo Governor Stanley Kiptis says the devolved unit will distribute 10,000 coffee seedlings to farmers within the next two weeks to step up production so as to meet the demand for the new market.
For years, coffee farmers have been suffering at the hands of middlemen who buy the produce cheaply and resell at higher prices.
This has seen many farmers uproot their coffee bushes opting for alternative cash crops or real estate.
The county is also partnering with Korean government to construct a coffee milling plant in Eldama Ravine to add value to coffee from the north and central rift.
On the other hand, coffee farmers in Runyenjes have called for an audit of New Kyeni coffee cooperative society which they claim is riddled with embezzlement of funds and poor prices for their produce.
Addressing the farmers Kanini expressed concerns over the poor management of most cooperative societies across the country adding that there is a need to overhaul the management in most of the cooperatives.
Source: KBC news