Nairobi, Nov. 23 - Kenyan coffee farmers should plant coffee varieties that are resistant to extreme weather changes and diseases such as coffee berry disease to avoid production losses, a coffee board official said Friday.
Changes in weather patterns have affected Kenya's coffee output this year and will lead to a 20% fall in production from last year's output of 49,000 metric tons, said Bernard Gichovi, production manager at the state-run Coffee Board of Kenya.
"Changing climatic patterns are as a result of global warming caused by pollution and deforestation in the country," Gichovi said. "But now we are asking growers to plant varieties like Ruiru 11 which are resistant to diseases," he said.
A cold, wet spell early this year caused coffee berry disease in parts of the central province, while coffee leaf rust was reported in the same province last month. And at present, heavy rains are causing poor flowering in the country's coffee regions.
The Ruiru 11 variety was developed 10 years ago by the state-run Coffee Research Foundation and is said to be highly resistant to both coffee berry disease and coffee leaf rust. However, most farmers haven't been willing to switch to the new variety, though some industry officials have asked for varieties that can thrive in dry coffee-growing areas. They also have said that Ruiru 11 doesn't taste as good.
"The variety is of bad taste and it won't fetch anything from buyers," said an exporter who asked not to be identified.
Kenya is a dominant producer of arabica which is used to blend with other coffees from other origins.