Nairobi: A total of 12,296 bags, equivalent to 763,212 kilograms of coffee, were traded at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) auction on Tuesday, generating Sh765 million. This amount was lower compared to Sh846 million realized in Sale 6 conducted last week.

According to Kenya News Agency, the highest price fetched during the Sale 7 of the current coffee season was Sh61,620 per bag of a 50-kilogram bag for a lot of 38 AA-grade bags from the Getuya factory of Kirinyaga County. The average price attained in the auction was Sh50,180 per 50-kilogram or Sh153 per kilo of clean cherry.

The NCE report stated that 10 coffee brokers participated, offering 3,905 bags of grade AA, 4,598 bags of AB, and 997 bags of C, earning cooperatives and coffee estates Sh267.6 million, Sh296.5 million, and Sh61.8 million, respectively. Alliance Berries Limited led the pack, marketing 3,227 bags for Sh208.4 million, followed by New KPCU with 1,985 bags (Sh120.9 million), Kipkelion with 1,821 bags (Sh17.7 million), and KCCE with 1,353 bags (Sh78.8 million).

Other brokers that participated in the auction included Kirinyaga Slopes with 983 bags, Minnesota Marketers with 762 bags, United Eastern with 478 bags, Kinya Coffee with 606 bags, and Coffee Estates Bourgeoisie with 965 bags.

In the category of buyers, 15 dealers participated, with five companies accounting for a commanding 79 percent of the total market value, highlighting their dominant presence in the auction. Ibero Kenya Ltd led the pack, purchasing 3,377 bags representing 28 percent of the market at Sh214.9 million. Louis Dreyfus bought 2,523 bags at Sh153.6 million, while C. Dormans acquired 1,919 bags valued at Sh127.4 million. Taylor Winch Ltd and Kenyacof Limited rounded out the top five by purchasing coffee worth Sh65.4 million and Sh51.7 million, respectively.

NCE CEO Lisper Ndung'u underscored the need for the production of high-quality coffee, saying that the majority of international buyers were interested in premium coffee. "We expect more quality coffee to be offered at the auction in the future to meet the demand of the buyers. High-quality coffee fetches a better price, which is a great benefit to farmers," said Ms. Ndung'u.