A state agency should export coffee, cocoa: Minister

COFFEE and cocoa should be exported by a state agency, Agriculture and Livestock Minister John Simon says.
Responding to questions from Pomio MP Elias Kapavore, Simon said the private sector could not be allowed to continue to export and suppress prices.
“I have talked to the department (Agriculture and Livestock) and the commodity boards to look at this and we are planning come up with a policy that the raw products should be exported by a state agency,” Simon said.
“The raw products, especially parchment coffee, green bean coffee, cocoa beans should be exported by a state agency.
“This is so that we can also get involved in the market, the department has not been involved in the market.”
He said the commodity boards had only been involved in extension programmes and other services but not in marketing the country’s agricultural produce.
“I have been having meetings with our commodity boards to get involved in the market,” Simon said.
“We need to in order to get the right price, the correct price to our farmers.
“The world prices are very good, the world has opened up.
“We know what the prices are and there is no reason why our farmers should continue to get less than K5 or K6 on parchment coffee and cocoa as well.
“The prices are out there, the population of the world has grown and the demand on coffee, cocoa and a lot of our commodities is very good.” Simon encouraged coffee and cocoa growers to continue to grow as the commodities were doing well on the international market.