Butula: Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary, Wycliffe Oparanya, has urged farmers in Western Kenya to embrace coffee farming, saying it offers better financial returns compared to traditional crops such as sugarcane and maize. Speaking at Bukhalalire High School in Butula Sub county during a sensitisation forum on coffee farming, market access, and government support programmes, Oparanya encouraged farmers to shift to coffee cultivation to improve their livelihoods.
According to Kenya News Agency, Oparanya highlighted that the Western region’s reliance on sugarcane and maize has resulted in diminishing returns, while the local climate is suitable for coffee farming, which promises higher yields. He emphasized that one acre of coffee can yield more than Ksh 1 million within 2 to 3 years, indicating a profitable venture for farmers. The government is actively promoting coffee farming by providing seedlings and training extension officers to support the farmers.
Oparanya disclosed that two extension officers are being trained in every ward across the country to assist and monitor coffee farmers. Additionally, seedlings have been distributed to many farmers to encourage coffee cultivation. He also unveiled plans to register a cooperative SACCO in the Western region to economically empower farmers, aiming to establish a cooperative with over 300,000 members by December and eventually expand it to one million members nationwide.
During the event, Oparanya distributed coffee seedlings to farmers and reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting coffee farming. Butula MP, Joseph Oyula, urged residents to revive coffee farming, noting its potential to alleviate poverty. He expressed a vision for Butula to become a leading coffee-producing sub-county within the next three years and welcomed the planned cooperative SACCO registration to improve coffee marketing and provide loan access for investment.
Lugari MP, Nabii Nabwera, supported the call for residents to join the cooperative and invest in coffee farming, citing financial success stories of coffee farmers. He emphasized that joining the cooperative could help combat poverty and improve living standards in Western Kenya.
