AU leaders support coffee farmers with ‘Nairobi Declaration’

The Ministers of Agriculture of 25 African countries that grow coffee in Africa signed the Nairobi Declaration in Nairobi to include coffee in the list of strategic commodities under the African Union.

Climate change, unstable markets, market access and low domestic consumption negatively affect coffee producers.

Under the agreement, future projections were planned for the protection and financing of coffee resources.

Kenya Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said that the signing of the declaration marked a major turning point in the history of the coffee industry on the African continent.

He said there is a need to create an environment in which coffee farmers can thrive, ensuring a commitment to ensuring that coffee farmers benefit from their hard-earned produce. He emphasized the importance of the African Union in creating this environment and preserving the strategic production potential of coffee.

“It is estimated that there are over 800,000 smallholder coffee farmers who market their products through 500 Cooperative Societies across the country with 4,000 small to medium coffee estates with farm sizes ranging from 5 to 10 hectares and 100 large coffee estates with sizes of between 10 and over 200 hectares,” cited Munya.