Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is expected to jet out of the country on Sunday night for an official visit to Colombia that will mostly focus on marketing Kenyan Coffee before heading to Cuba for the Group of 77 and China (G77) Summit.
The DP’s delegation will include farmers from different counties who will participate in the Coffee Producers and Roasters Forum (PRF) in Medellin,
The delegation will also engage with leading coffee producers and sellers in the South American nation.
Gachagua, who has been tasked by President William Ruto with agricultural reforms, is likely to make use of the chance to campaign for support as Kenya aspires to host the inaugural Africa Coffee Producers and Roasters Forum in 2024.
In addition to participating in the PRF forum, the farmers will participate in the DP and engage with their colleagues through visits to coffee farms in ChinChina and Coffee Research.
“The coffee subsector reforms we are undertaking are eliminating middlemen and brokers. We are linking our farmers to the market. The visit to Colombia, therefore, will allow us to engage roasters directly for the farmer to be the biggest beneficiary in our coffee production chain. We will stop at nothing until the farmer thrives in profitability,” said DP Gachagua.
The DP, whose tour is a follow-up to Colombian Vice President Francia Elena Marques Mina’s visit in May, stated that Kenyan farmers and subsector stakeholders will be able to obtain new insights into the newest trends in the coffee business.
Gachagua will hold bilateral talks with his host, Vice President Mina before similar consultations with the country’s President, Gustavo Petro Urrego.
The second in command will then on Friday and Saturday next week address the G77 summit in Havana, Cuba, on behalf of President William Ruto.
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