A worker tests the quality of milk delivered at the Kiganjo New KCC factory. FILE photo | nmg
Up to 30,000 dairy farmers are set to benefit from a Sh1.2
billion private-public partnership meant enhance production as well as
quality.
The project is targeting high production
regions of Rift Valley and eastern Kenya and comes a time when demand
for milk is expected to outstrip supply by 2020 based on estimates.
According
to USAID Kenya Agriculture Value chain enterprise project, milk volumes
are projected to grow from eight billion litres to 10 billion in the
next three years against a demand of 12 billion litres.
Key
factors for demand include the rising population, growing household
incomes, rural-urban migration, expanding supermarket networks and
changing eating habits of Kenyans who are craving for high nutritional
foods
The Rift Valley segment will incorporate Nandi,
Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and Trans-Nzoia while in Eastern region
participating county is Tharaka Nithi.
The
new Kenya market led dairy supply chain project, which will be
implemented by the US based Heifer International is aimed at fighting
poverty and hunger through sustainable agriculture and entrepreneurship.
“This
is a unique opportunity to focus the work of farmers organisation,
private sector players and county governments on delivering effective
solutions to increase dairy production and productivity which will lead
to more incomes to 30,000 smallholder farmers,” said Mr George Odhiambo,
the country director Heifer in Kenya.
Besides the US
based Heifer International, other partners is the Swedish International
Development Co-operation Agency (Sida) which has contributed Sh278
million.
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