Kenya: Dairy Production in Nyeri County Increases to 127.9 mn Litres

According to the Nyeri county government, production in the fiscal year 2021/2022 totaled 127.9 million litres, a 12% increase over the previous year's total of 111.7 million litres.

Dairy farming is one of the most popular enterprises in Nyeri county, with farmers involved in all eight sub-counties. Fresians, Ayshires, Guernseys, and Jerseys are the most common cattle breeds in Nyeri county.

The increase in milk production in the county is attributed to various interventions implemented by the Nyeri county government to ensure a sufficient supply of milk to meet demand for both domestic consumption and commercial purposes.

Infrastructure interventions include the provision of 31 milk coolers from both the county and national governments, as well as six milk pasteurizers from donor projects in collaboration with the county government.

Two milk tankers were also donated by the county's dairy cooperatives, and two packaging machines were purchased with donor funds. Nyeri was also presented with two milk dispensers from the Agriculture Sector Development Support Programme (ASDSP), which are now installed at Mweiga Cooperative Society.

Other interventions to boost dairy output in the county include group training, field days and exhibitions, livestock demonstrations, and office consultations.

Other support initiatives funded by the county government and donor projects included the construction of a milk plant for Kairuthi dairy and the Upper Tana Natural Resource Management Project (UTaNRMP), which provided 29 CIGs (common interest groups) with eight dairy cows each.

They also distributed milk cans to Mweiga Cooperative and Gakanga Dairy, provided pasture and fodder seeds to a number of farmers, and provided 38 farmer groups with dairy goat breeding stock, which included alpine bucks and does for KES3,795,000 (US$30530).

To maintain the upward trend in milk production, the county government proposed several other interventions, including the distribution of higher-value equipment to dairy cooperatives and more dairy goats to farmer groups.