Kenyan County government distributes milk coolers to reduce milk wastage

KENYA – The County Government of Nakuru has begun distributing milk coolers to dairy farmer groups in an effort to curb milk wastage and enhance dairy farming. 

The initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, is expected to increase the value of raw milk produced in the county by about 22% over the next three years, surpassing 16 billion shillings.

According to County Executive Committee Member Leonard Bor, the program aligns with broader efforts to upgrade local breeds, train farmers on quality feed formulation, and promote good animal husbandry practices. 

Speaking during the handover of Bor emphasized that the government remains committed to investing in the dairy sector, which directly employs over 120,000 farm families and supports more than 500,000 residents in Nakuru.

He assured farmers that the milk cooling equipment would help mitigate losses caused by power blackouts.

Bor noted that Nakuru County now produces an average of 300 million litres of milk annually, an improvement of over 25 percent since 2019, making it the third-leading devolved unit in milk production. 

He attributed this growth to enhanced agricultural practices by smallholder farmers and increased investment in milk collection and cooling infrastructure by both the Ministry of Agriculture and private sector partners. 

“The cooler will also help the farmers to aggregate the milk, ensuring the produce gets to the market in good condition, hence increasing their bargaining power,” he said.

The initiative is part of the Sh570 million Nakuru County Dairy Value Chain Strategic Plan, supported by the National Government’s Agriculture Sector Development Support Programme Phase Two. 

Farmers in Nakuru have increasingly embraced artificial insemination to upgrade their local breeds, with over 6,000 farmers using superior semen from approved bulls to enhance milk productivity. 

Bor indicated that sustained support from processors such as New KCC and Brookside Dairy Limited has further strengthened dairy farming by providing training on best practices.

The county government is also focusing on empowering dairy farmer cooperatives to modernize their operations, with 13 farmer groups under the Nakuru County Union of Dairy Cooperatives currently producing 40,000 litres of milk per day.

 Bor stated, “Brokers and milk transporters who profit from dairy farmers’ sweat will soon be out of the way as we invest in dairy infrastructure while farmers use cooperatives to directly engage processors.” 

He added that a cooperative model would modernize the sector, eliminating costly intermediaries and ensuring farmers receive a larger share of the producer price.

To further support dairy farmers, Nakuru has established 11 milk cooling stations across the county, equipped with backup generators to mitigate power outages. 

These facilities enable farmers to store and bulk milk before selling it at competitive prices to processors. 

Farmers have also benefited from pilot projects such as solar milk coolers, launched in partnership with Egerton University, and dairy value addition machines provided to cooperatives.

The county’s agriculture department estimates that 70% of Nakuru’s land is agriculturally productive, with significant potential for livestock farming.

Chemare Farmers’ Cooperative Society chairperson Samson Mibei noted that the newly acquired milk cooler would significantly boost milk aggregation and quality, enhancing farmers’ earnings. 

He revealed that the cooperative has 1,300 members, including over 100 youths and two people with disabilities, and currently delivers between 1,800 to 2,500 litres of milk daily. 

“With the new cooling facility, we will be able to increase our deliveries to over 60,000 litres monthly,” he said.

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