Kenya targets roasting coffee beans to lift earnings

By Duncan Miriri OTHAYA, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenya plans to increase coffee roasting and is encouraging farmers to link up with foreign partners who can help build markets abroad, to add value to its raw bean exports that are a major source of foreign exchange. Kenya grows just 1 percent of the world's coffee a year, but punches above its weight in quality as many global firms seek its arabica beans to blend with lower quality varieties. Kenya produced 45,000 tonnes of beans in the 2015/16 season