BY DPCS
As part of marketing coffee directly to roaster and consumers, Kenya will host the Producer Roaster Forum -one of the biggest events in the subsector calendar globally – in November 2024.
The decision was reached after Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua presnted the bid when he met the Chief Executive Officer of the PRF Henry Wilson in Medellín, Colombia. The meeting took place on the side of the seventh PRF, which broght together hundreds of coffee roasters, buyers and other stakeholders to showcase their produce, brands and other innovations.
“Those who have been buying our coffee smile to the bank as our farmers cry to the farm. They have blocked farmers from acxessing the market. This Forum will connect our farmer to the roasters for better returns,” he said.
The Deputy President added that with the elimination of middlemen- between the farmer and the consumer of coffee through the ongoing coffee subsector reforms the gap needs to be filled. To do so, he said, inviting key regional and international players in marketing and consumption of coffee to Kenya is critical and the Producer and Roaster Forum, 2024 is such an opportunity to bring strategic actors closer to the farmer, the Deputy President said.
The CEO said the the March 2024 Forum will be held in Guatemala and he is ready to work with Kenya to host the November 2024 event in Nairobi.
“It is purely a farmer affair. It will not be a holiday. The participants will come and buy coffee from the farmers. Over 3,000 Kenyan farmers will also be invited. They will receive a pre-training and capacity building on how to engage at the Forum, besides good production practices,” he said.
The Deputy President said Kenya will establish a committee to look at the technical and other requirements to make this exhibition event-the first in Africa a success.
In his bid, Mr Gachagua said the ongoing radical coffee subsector reforms will ease access to the market and cutting down costs along the value-chain for a win-win business environment for the farmer, the processor and consumer.
“The Producer and Roaster Forum will be a platform for the Roasters and consumers to closely engage the Kenyan Government on possible and favourable tariffs for win-win trade situation. We are opening the doors for the roasters to access the pure and original coffee,” the Deputy President said.
He added that hosting the PRF in Kenya will not only raise the profile of the country which is the second highest producer of coffee besides leading in high quality beans which are used to upgrade varieties from other parts of the world.
While Kenya is the main exporter of raw beans, the Deputy President said, the PRF meeting will bring key actors into the country, the home to distinct aromas and flavours, to explore the avalanche of investment opportunities, including value addition under specialty coffee. The Deputy President added that Kenya is the door to a lucrative market on the continent, which is home to over 1.3 billion people, singling out consequential sub-regional and regional trade pacts in Africa to which Kenya is a signatory. These include Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, East Africa Community, the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, among others.
“The roasters will have a closer look at the potential trade and investment opportunities, like processing specialty coffee at source for better returns,” he said.
Besides skills, technology and reliability of green power, Mr Gachgua said the Kenya is implementing reforms to sustain high quality and quantity coffee, making it a potential investment that will also place more money into the pocket of the farmer.
He also added that Nairobi hosted a successful Africa Climate Summit, which received hundreds of participants.
Riding on the high quality and distinct flavour of the Kenyan cofffee, Mr Gachagua also made a presentation at the PRF renewing his call on the participants to consider the country as their next investment destination.
