By Esther Chesoro.
KiambuGovernor William Kabogo recently commissioned a 5000 litrecoolant and milk pasteurizer at Muguga Dairy FarmersCooperative Society in KabeteConstituency. Christened ‘Kiambu County Milk Value Addition Project’, the move is intended to improve the quality of dairy farming from simple milk production to manufacturing of a variety of cheese, yogurt and other dairy products.
The plant, bought at Sh19 million by the County Government, will facilitate milk production since KiambuCounty is ranked the highest milk producer with over 800,000 litres produced daily.
“We have purchased milk coolers and pasteurisers to be distributed to dairy farming groups and cooperatives in areas where dairy farming is concentrated,” Kabogo said.
MugugaDairy Farmers Cooperative Society Chairman Peter Kinyagia said the society collects 4,000 litres a day which will increase since the Government has been supporting cooperatives for the past year by buying equipment to boost production.
Kabogo was with Kiambu County Agriculture Minister Monica Waiganjo. He urged Muguga’sshareholders to ask for funds from the County Government’s Enterprise Fund or any other money lending institution. The society will be pasteurising and packaging its members’ milk for sale within and outside the County.
Other cooperatives and groups to benefit from the 5000 litre milk coolers and pasteurisers areKiriita Dairy Farmers Cooperative,GitweFarmersCooperative,Githobokoni Farmers Group and GatamaiyuDairy.
Mangu Progressive Farmers and Gikambura Dairy Farmers will also benefit from the milk equipment.
The Governor also advised young people to borrow money for agricultural businesses. He asked them to use the available land for large-scale farming especially horticulture and livestock farming.
