By Milliam Murigi
After decades of decline in coffee production, the Kenyan government has unveiled a raft of reforms aimed at reviving the once-vibrant sector, which for years served as one of the country’s top foreign-exchange earners.
One of the central pillars of this revival plan is the introduction of tissue culture coffee seedlings. This scientific approach aims to meet the surging demand for coffee seedlings as the country works to reclaim its spot among the world’s leading coffee producers.
“With more farmers returning to coffee, the government is banking on tissue culture technology to produce millions of seedlings faster and boost yields across the country. The government’s shift to tissue culture seedling production will fast-track the revival of Kenya’s once-thriving coffee industry,” says Daniel Chemno, Chairman of the New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (New KPCU).
Chemno notes that coffee production in the country has been on a downward trend for more than three decades. Kenya, which once ranked sixth globally, has now dropped to position 26, producing only about 50,000 metric tonnes annually, a sharp fall from 128,000 tonnes recorded in 1988.
“Today, we are doing a paltry 50,000 metric tonnes, while countries like Vietnam that once trailed Kenya have surged to over 1.8 million tonnes,” he says, underscoring how far the country has slipped in global rankings.
To reverse this trend, the government, in partnership with 10 universities, is working to develop tissue culture coffee seedlings that can be multiplied rapidly and distributed widely. The goal is to produce 20 million seedlings annually starting next year, with Sh500 million (about USD 3.9 million) allocated for the initiative.
“The government is aware of the challenges faced by the Coffee Research Institute in seed production. That’s why it is collaborating with universities to develop tissue culture coffee seedlings so that from next year, farmers will have access to improved planting materials,” Chemno explains.
Kenya has only released two major coffee varieties since independence — Ruiru 11 and Batian — yet global competitors have continuously released new hybrids to match market and climatic shifts. Chemno emphasizes the need for continuous research to introduce new varieties every three years, in line with changing climatic and market conditions.
The tissue culture approach, which has already proven successful in banana cultivation, comes at a time when more farmers across the country, including in regions that previously focused on other crops are showing renewed interest in coffee farming. Farmers in parts of Nyandarua, Marsabit, and the North Rift have started embracing coffee, attracted by its growing market potential and government-backed reforms.
According to Henry Kinyua, Advisor on Crops and Value Chains at the President’s Economic Transformation Secretariat, one major challenge in the coffee revitalization plan is the slow pace of producing new seedlings to meet farmers’ demand. Traditional propagation methods, which rely on manual grafting, cannot supply enough seedlings quickly, especially for hybrid varieties like Ruiru 11 and Batian.
“The challenge is how to produce these seedlings at the speed at which farmers require them. That’s where the conversation around tissue culture comes in,” Kinyua explains. “Tissue culture will ensure faster and more elaborate production of seedlings so farmers can access them.”
He adds that adopting tissue culture offers scalability to meet national demand and ensures consistency in seedling quality, which is critical for improving productivity and restoring confidence in the coffee value chain.
Beyond research and seedling production, the government’s coffee revival strategy also includes subsidized fertilizer distribution, extension services through field officers and modernization of processing equipment. The New KPCU is spearheading these efforts in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that reforms reach farmers at the grassroots.
Chemno says that under the ongoing reforms, farmers now access fertilizer at Sh2,500 (about USD 19) per bag, down from Sh6,000 (about USD 46) and receive Sh40 (about USD 0.5) per kilogram of cherry delivered to factories through the Cherry Advance Fund. This is meant to cushion them from exploitation by middlemen and ensure steady cash flow during harvest seasons.
“We are confident that with the support the government is giving, Kenya will rebound and take its rightful place at the high table of global coffee negotiations,” he affirms.
