The government has distributed 1000 doses of sexed semen to the Meru Cooperative Union farmers in a bid to boost the dairy sector in the region by improving the quality of the breed and increase milk production.
Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma lauded the initiative as a sustainable step toward empowering local farmers economically.
“This is about creating long-term value. We are investing in the future of our farmers by making quality breeds accessible at a significantly subsidized cost,” the Governor said.
The governor hailed President William Ruto for honoring the promises he made to dairy farmers during the 10th Meru Dairy Farmers Field Day.
He said the efforts are already transforming the Meru’s dairy sector.
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Speaking during the launch of the distribution of subsidized sexed semen and livestock vaccines by the Kenya Animal Genetic Resource Centre (KAGRC), Governor Mutuma said such initiatives directly tackle the challenges farmers raised with the president during the event.
However the governor decried about some of the biggest challenges dairy farmers in Meru face, among them he noted, were the high cost of animal feeds and livestock diseases such as foot and mouth disease, which affect productivity.
Mutuma said the national government had acted quickly to help.
“The first challenge we said is that of dairy feeds, and the president is helping us to come up with our own fodder industry to make our feeds. We have also received 15,000 doses of vaccines, and vaccination efforts have already begun,” he said.
Mutuma pointed out another challenge raised during the 10th Dairy Farmers Field Day which was frequent result of male calves through artificial insemination, which he said limited milk production.
He expressed his gratitude to President Ruto for fulfilling his promise.
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“We had informed President Ruto that another problem we have is sexed semen. Most of the time we inseminate the animal, we end up receiving a male breed. He promised to support us with sexed semen as Meru farmers. Today the promise that the president made to help us get sexed semen for our animals is being fulfilled,” he said.
Mutuma also highlighted that in 2023, President Ruto fulfilled his promise by allocating Ksh 100 million to support the sector, a sum that was confirmed by the union’s management.
He added that the President had pledged to add an additional Ksh 100 million for further development.
He stressed that these achievements wouldn’t have been possible without working closely with the national government.
“There are certain standards that we as the county government cannot reach until we have cooperation with the national government. If it wasn’t for the cooperation and relationship between Meru farmers and the President of the Republic, today we wouldn’t have sexed semen for Ksh 1,400 while in the market it goes for Ksh 7,000 and Ksh 8,000,”said Mutuma
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Shifting his attention to the recent Sabasaba protests, Mutuma questioned why anyone would attack projects built through years of sacrifice, referring to the attempted attack on the Meru Central Dairy Union plant.
“I don’t know who is that enemy that you wanted to punish by destroying our own economy, by destroying this plant. We have sweated so much to build only for it to be destroyed in one day,” noted Mutuma.
He urged those who oppose the government to communicate their concerns peacefully rather than through violence, warning that destruction only deepens the struggles of ordinary Kenyans.
“There is a better way of communicating what we want to tell His Excellency on the governance of the day. Destroying only lands us into more trouble,” he advised.
Mutuma called on farmers and all Kenyans to set aside divisive politics and focus on solutions and development.
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Meru Dairy Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Gitonga, echoed the Governor’s sentiments, noting that the subsidized semen, priced at just Ksh 1,400 per dose, would go a long way in improving livestock breeds and increasing milk yields.
“This initiative gives our farmers the opportunity to access superior genetics at an affordable cost, enabling them to compete both locally and internationally,” Gitonga stated.
The event was attended by hundreds of dairy farmers who expressed gratitude for the government’s support and pledged to make good use of the resources to improve their livelihoods.
The program is part of Meru County’s broader agricultural reform agenda aimed at food security, increased farmer incomes, and economic resilience in the livestock sector and agriculture sector
By John Majau.
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