Kigumo coffee farmers embrace modern technology
Christine Muchira·(Updated 25 Apr 2025)
A coffee farmers cooperative society in Kigumo of Murang’a county has embraced modern technologies that has impacted to good coffee prices this financial year 2024/2025 coffee payment.
Kangiri coffee farmers cooperative society is made up of 5 coffee factories: The New Irati, Kanjathi, Gatūmbī, Kanguya and Kangurumai and in this ending financial year farmers reaped big as a kilo of cherry was paid between sh101 -114 per kilo, coffee mbuni fetching sh438-521 per kilo.
This milestone has been achieved after the quintet factories embraced use of modern technologies where each one of them purchased a mbuni huller, solar cherry driers and digital weighing machine.
The mbuni huller has cut cost of milling production that is charged by the miller as well as transport cost since each factory can mill it’s quantity of coffee mbuni with low cost.
The solar drier that uses solar energy hastened drying process leading to high quality cherry that produces good premiums while digital weighing machines ensures no farmers coffee is lost, since its accurate and efficient.
The cooperative has been procuring farm inputs from distinguished dealers to ensure quality and standards of the inputs.
Earlier farmers were used to purchase subsidized fertilisers from government stores (NCPB) incurring high transport cost and sometimes getting substandard fertilisers.
On the other hand farmers are transitioning from producing traditional coffee varieties that are of low yields, not resilient to disease and pest compared to modern varieties Ruiru 11 and Batian varieties that produce high yields and are resilient to pest and diseases as well as climate change.
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Christine Muchira
Christine Muchira is a journalist and storyteller with a passion for data-driven reporting and impactful human-interest narratives. I hold a postgraduate degree in International Studies and an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Media Studies both from the University of Nairobi, bringing a strong global perspective to her work while remaining deeply rooted in local community stories.
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