Boosting Limu Innaria Union  Coffee output marketing Limu Enara Farmers' Cooperative Union was established in 1998 and legally recognized in 2006. The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the union, at present constituted from 55 primary cooperatives with a total of 16733 members of which 693 are female. The union has a general assembly, board of directors, management body and control committee. Under the board of directors, one general manager and three functional units are working in the union office. It has accounting department capable of controlling all operation of purchase and sells and all the accounts are audited every fiscal year. The Union has its own office and farm input and ware houses to stock and procure farm products and inputs to member cooperatives. The main activities of the union includes among the other: 
collection, processing and marketing of member crops such as maize, coffee and oilseedsSupply of agricultural inputs through primary cooperatives, Providing training to membership and Supply edible oil, sugar and industrial commodities to members.  
Since, Agriterra  project interventions commencement in 2013, the union has managed to develop a feasibility study on Niger seed edible oil processing, and a sound five years strategic business plans so as to achieve its business ambitions successively. The union has further accessed organizational strengthening supports and on site coaching for improved output marketing and agronomic practices. As a result, it was made possible to professionalize the union accounting system, and introduce new varieties of Haricot bean and chick pea in the union area and improved varieties of Niger seed. The feasibility study advised the union to focus on Niger seed output marketing, domestic and export markets, instead of focusing on processing. However, the 2014 output marketing performance of the union was almost zero for Niger seed at union level while it shows 5,250 quintals output marketing at the top ten PC, which they have been marketing directly. 
Based on project evaluation of the union in 2016, the union came up with new business cases that suits well with Agriterra interventions in 2017.  The business case presented by the union being boosting specialty coffee output marketing through primary cooperatives organizational strengthening.

Even though few strategic advisory services has been planned at the union level, the main activities for 2017 fiscal year target mainly 8 primary cooperatives known for coffee productions.   
PC level coffee washing machines and accompanying building infrastructures. The coffee machines costs 400,000 (duty free) and 700,000 with tax. Total costs for coffee washing machine and building amounts to 1.2 million. A total of 8 primary cooperatives are viable for this business based on the union observations.Internal capitalizations at 8 PC level for 1.2 million*7=8.4 million ETB .Coffee quality managements (processing and post-harvest handling)Doubling the output marketing performances of 7 primary cooperatives for specialty coffeeAgronomy and pc managers professionalization’sOrganizational strengthening’s through- Governance coaching track, contract farming coaching track, purchase and sale coaching trackAgripoolers- PC level business planning’s.Intern:  member's commitments in maintaining coffee supplies to the union
The detail proposition of the union has been summarized in the follwing manner for intervention purposes:

         Production levelSpeciality   Coffee quality managements (Production, processing and post-harvest handling)
       Business levelImproving   the output marketing performances of primary cooperatives
       Organisational Development levelConduct   organizational development capacity building for eight primary coops
       Financial management levelImproving   the financial management system of cooperatives

Boosting Limu Innaria Union  Coffee output marketing through strategic market linkages and PC strengthenings