Official: Coffee industry needs more investment

 HIGHLANDS Farmers and Settlers Association president Wilson Thompson says more investment in the coffee industry is needed to increase production.

Thompson said coffee production and exports in the country had fallen because of aging trees, pests and diseases, and lack of support.

While commending the Government for its allocation in 2016 budget, Thompson said there must be more investment in the sector.

He said more investment would allow extended farming to drive production in the next five years.

He thanked the Government for the budgetary allocation.

“We were able to get K2 million for nursery, K4 million for freight subsidies and K1 million for disease and pest control,” Thompson said. 

“It is late in terms of trying to rebuild and drive production. 

“But we now must look at the next five years.

“We must put in more effort to ensure production increases in the next five years. 

“The focus is to have more nurseries, and that means more seedlings.

“K2 million is good, but when taken in ratio of the farmers we have, it does not add up.

“Farmers will be receiving less when that money is divided.

“And that won’t help in us trying improve coffee growth and production would be less than what the country expects.”