Kenya's ambition to reclaim its place as a global coffee powerhouse gained significant traction on Thursday at a high-level policy dialogue organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The event brought together government officials, development partners, private sector actors, and youth entrepreneurs for a robust conversation on transforming Kenya's coffee value chain.
Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Dr Wycliffe Oparanya outlined the government's roadmap for the revival of the coffee sector.
In Kenya, according to Dr Oparanya, coffee is more than a crop-it is a national treasure and a lifeline for over 800,000 smallholder farmers, supporting more than five million Kenyans. "We are therefore embarking on an ambitious but necessary journey to increase our national coffee output from the current 51,000 metric tonnes to more than 150,000 metric tonnes in just three years," announced the CS in a speech read on his behalf by the Commissioner for Cooperative Development David Obonyo.
