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| Archive News from Ndumberi Co-operative Coffee Improvement Project - March 2007 |
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| March was a dry and sunny month, but towards the month end the weather rapidly changed to overcast skies that threatened to break into much awaited long rains. In the same month, the Meteorological department in Nairobi released its rains forecast report that indicated that Ndumberi region will receive a near normal rainfall expected to start in April. |
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| For Ndumberi farmers, March was a busy month. Apart from wrapping up with coffee pruning activities and application of manure, farmers were busy preparing land for sowing before the onset of rains. Most food crops including maize, potatoes and beans normally require land to be prepared well in advance before the beginning of the rains. |
Elsewhere, Mombasa, the renowned tourism coastal destination in Kenya hosted a successful World Cross-Country Championships. Kenya, buoyed by clean medal sweeps in the junior categories, bagged its 20th team title amid fierce competition from its neighbours in the heart land of long distance running- Ethiopia and Eritrea.
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| Ndumberi coffee continued to attract high demand both in and out of the Nairobi Coffee Auction. These can be attributed to marked improvement in the coffee quality. Many see this as direct result of Ndumberi coffee improvement project that rehabilitated the Co-op's Wet Mills and funded the construction of new permanent drying tables. The rehabilitation allowed proper drying of parchment despite the fact that the Co-op’s cherry production increased three folds, a situation that would have otherwise resulted to congestion at Wet Mills with adverse effects on coffee quality. ´This was a good year, yields rose dramatically, AA and AB premium grades percentage improved and coffee processing was superb. No wonder many speciality buyers are interested in our coffee. “Our farmers are now reaping the fruits of our coffee improvement projects” states an overjoyed Raymond Gitau, the Co-op Chairman. |
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| Ndumberi Co-op set a record of some sort by registering the first direct sales contract in Kenya. It’s only early this year that the Kenya government allowed coffee to be sold outside the Nairobi Coffee Auction. Direct sales are expected to allow coffee traders to form solid long term partnerships with coffee growers in a win-win situation. |
| In related news, on Tuesday 20th March 2007 Nairobi Coffee Auction saw another record set when a coffee lot from Socfinaf’s Oakland coffee estate hit an all time high price of USD 954 per 50 Kg of grade AB. The 4 bags were fiercely bided for and it was a small buyer by the name Rejitek who carried the day. |
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| Ndumberi coffee continued to attract high demand both in and out of the Nairobi Coffee Auction. These can be attributed to marked improvement in the coffee quality. Many see this as direct result of Ndumberi coffee improvement project that rehabilitated the Co-op’s Wet Mills and funded the construction of new permanent drying tables. The rehabilitation allowed proper drying of parchment despite the fact that the Co-op’s cherry production increased three folds, a situation that would have otherwise resulted to congestion at Wet Mills with adverse effects on coffee quality. ´This was a good year, yields rose dramatically, AA and AB premium grades percentage improved and coffee processing was superb. No wonder many speciality buyers are interested in our coffee. “Our farmers are now reaping the fruits of our coffee improvement projects” states an overjoyed Raymond Gitau, the Co-op Chairman. |
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| The much awaited Riabai clinic will be completed this year thanks to the generous sponsorship from FOUR SQUARE and Ecom Foundation. The clinic will serve over 2000 Ndumberi Co-op small holder farmers, their families and many more who work in neighbouring coffee plantations. The Co-op management in conjunction with Sangana Commodities Kenya Limited and a local catholic church will oversee the construction, equipping and commissioning of the clinic at a site donated by the Co-op at Riabai Wet Mill. |
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| Samuel Kinyanjui Njonge was brought up in Ndumberi village in a coffee family of 12. Born in 1950, the hard working father of 5 is among the top farmers in Ndumberi Co-op. He attributes his success to skills learnt from his parents who were reputable coffee farmers in the village. |
| Last year Samuel delivered over 4300 kg of cherry to Ndumberi Wet Mill from his 1000 stems of coffee. This year, he targets to produce over 8000kg. His wife Hannah believes that this target is achievable. Already their coffee stems are bearing substantial early crop and good spiking for main crop is eminent. Farmers in Ndumberi village have recognised Samuel’s hard work and have appointed him to the Co-op’s Management Board, where he has served as the vice chairman for five years. |
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| In their five and a half acres farm, Samuel and Hannah also grow food crop such as maize, bananas, beans potatoes and keep a couple of dairy cows and goats. This month, Samuel has been the unlucky host of one lone leopard that is hiding in his mango trees. The leopard has killed 2 goats in the village. |
| Samuel cites coffee prices as the main challenge facing Ndumberi coffee farmers. But he is very optimistic the partnership with FOUR SQUARE will assist coffee farmers in improving coffee quality and coffee prices and consequently make coffee farming in Ndumberi more sustainable. For Samuel and his wife the news that the FOUR SQUARE sponsored clinic at Riabai will be operational by the end of this year is the best news of the Month. ‘This is good news considering the fact that we are getting older and we shall need health clinic services closer to us’ states Samuel. |
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| We provide regular newsletters on our projects in Kenya. Read recent and archive news from the Ndumberi Co-operative Coffee Improvement Project. |
| » Read the current news from Ndumberi |
| » More archive newsletters from Ndumberi |
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