Kenya
Recently announced government coffee production regulations are being opposed by several coffee cooperatives, according to published reports.
The regulations, intended as a solution to Kenya’s struggling coffee industry, are decried by grower cooperatives as ill-advised and difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish. In the end, they say, coffee production and prices will suffer.
The regulations, issued in July by country’s Coffee Sector Task Force, are designed to stimulate production, officials said at the time. The program would monitor farmer cooperatives, ensure improved management practices and provide more support for farmers.
Those cooperatives, however, disagree and are taking their objections to court in an attempt to block the rules. The cooperatives object to a timeline calling for the implementation of a digitized value chain system by 2020. They say the regulations would be too expensive at a time when prices already are depressed.
And, they say they were not involved in creating the regulations even though they are principal stakeholders.