Thursday, December 15, 2022 – Coffee farmers from Embu County are on the edge following reports that their properties are set to be auctioned over unpaid loans amounting to Sh140 million obtained from the Commodities Fund.
The farmers, who are affiliated with Embu County Coffee Mill and Gakundu Cooperative Society, expressed concern over the matter and have appealed to both the national and county government to save their assets from the auction.
The County Mill, comprising 24 societies obtained a Sh90 million loan from the agency eight years ago for the construction of a joint milling plant that has since stalled, while Gakundu secured a loan of Sh50 million in the same period to modernize its factories.
Both loans are said to have ballooned exponentially for non-service.
Murue Factory farmer Bernard Kinyua said the mill was the only project that could have brought all farmers across the county together to help them reap big through joint milling and marketing of the commodity.
“It is a project that could have made us make a huge saving and boost our earnings by ensuring all coffee produced in the county is milled and marketed at one point,” Kinyua said.
Another farmer, John Nyaga said they were appalled by the move since the former Governor Martin Wambora had pledged to assist in paying the loan after his administration took over the management of the mill to assist all farmers.
0 Comments