Cooperative contributing to welfare

By ZACHERY PER
LOCALLY-owned Highlands Organic Agriculture Cooperative (HOAC) is investing K1.4 million in improving socio-economic wellbeing of its 2,600 registered coffee farmers in Okapa, Eastern Highlands.
Founder and board chairman Daniel Kinne said after 14 years of operation, they were now distributing coffee pulpers, coffee pruning tools and corrugated roofing iron to boost quality coffee production and improve living standards of coffee farmers.
“From a total of K1.4 million organic fair trade premiums earmarked to improve livelihoods, K400,000 was used to help improve the socio-economic wellbeing of remote coffee farmers,” he said.
“The rolling out of roofing iron and other items are an ongoing exercise.
“We will eventually cover every coffee farming household.”
Kinne said HOAC is in pursuit to achieve improved high quality coffee production to provide the best for their overseas buyers.
He said the coffee pulpers distribution exercise was code named operation rausim ston.
“In 2018, HOAC engaged in another exercise which was a farmers’ housing scheme code named operation rausim kunai gras by distributing corrugated roofing iron.
“So far, 9,400 sheets of corrugated roofing iron were delivered to farmers.”
Kinne said apart from this assistance, HOAC helped to provide new infrastructure for schools and health services.