Dairy farmers receives boost from NARIGP to increase production capacity

KENYA – Mburugo Dairy, a Farmers Co-operative Society in Embu County is celebrating a significant milestone as it receives a generous infusion of resources from the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) to further enhance its dairy operations.

The US$130,404 investment by NARIGP will boost dairy farmers by providing them with two state-of-the-art 5,000-liter milk coolers.

The investment has increased the total number of coolers in their possession to four, which is a significant milestone in the cooperative’s efforts to enhance its operations and provide support to local dairy farmers.

Embu County Governor Cecily Mbarire expressed her enthusiasm for the development, emphasizing that the increased capacity enabled by the new coolers would be of great benefit to the local dairy sector.

She noted that the enhancements would enable the co-operative to intake more milk from farmers, which, in turn, would contribute to the cooperative’s overall growth and provide better returns for local dairy farmers.

Speaking passionately during the ceremony on a sunny Monday morning, Governor Mbarire highlighted the success story of the Mburugo Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society, showcasing it as an exemplary model of the critical role cooperatives play in sustaining the livelihoods of rural communities.

She urged other communities to emulate the cooperative’s success and work together to uplift the lives of their members.

Kennedy Njagi, the cooperative’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), also shared his insights on the transformative impact of this investment.

“With the addition of these two new coolers, the cooperative is set to double its daily storage capacity from 11,000 to an impressive 21,000 liters,” he said.

Njagi emphasized that an increase in capacity would enable them to collect more milk from farmers, thereby minimizing spoilage and ensuring the quality of milk remains impeccable until it reaches the market.

Currently, the cooperative collects 19,000 liters daily from its 4,769 members. With the expanded capacity, they have ambitious plans to gradually increase their intake to 30,000 liters per day and pursue value-added projects to attract more markets and enhance revenues.

Additionally, the cooperative is diversifying its operations by running a smaller-scale animal feed production line, although it is limited by a lack of raw materials.

Njagi also outlined the cooperative’s commitment to empowering farmers beyond milk collection. He promised to provide essential linkages to experts for training on best farming practices to increase yields and offer connections to financial organizations for credit facilities.

Moreover, in an announcement welcomed by all attending farmers, Njagi revealed that starting this month, they would increase the prices for farmers from Sh47 to Sh50 per litre of milk delivered to the cooperative’s processing plant.

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