Central and Rift farmers pocket Sh1.9b from milk sales

Earnings by dairy farmers in Central and South Rift from raw milk sold to processor Brookside climbed to Sh1.9 billion last year.

The payout represents a 29 per cent growth over earnings in 2023, with Brookside attributing the rise to favourable weather and the adoption of better farm practices by smallholder farmers in the two regions.

Narok County led the pack, with farmers in the area chalking up Sh1 billion in returns from raw milk sold to the processor, up from Sh680 million in 2023.

Farmers in the Nakuru region, on the other hand, received Sh854 million, up from Sh794 million in 2023, while those in Kericho and Bomet counties earned a combined Sh69 million, representing a nine per cent increase over income in the previous year.

Brookside’s Milk Procurement General Manager Emmanuel Kabaki said yesterday the processor is committed to strengthening partnerships with all its farmers through sustainable initiatives and investment in climate-resilient practices that guarantee optimal milk production across all seasons.

“Our commitment is to continue providing a guaranteed market for milk supplied by farmers and to make timely payment for it. This enables the dairy sub-sector to play its crucial role of turning the wheels of the economies of the rural areas,” Mr Kabaki said in Nakuru.

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He said Brookside is committed to making the dairy enterprise a source of guaranteed family income.

“We continue to invest in cold chain infrastructure across key milk sheds to ensure that our farmers have milk cooling facilities closer to them, as part of our wider quality control systems at the upstream phase of the value chain,” Mr Kabaki said.

“We will continue to procure 100 per cent of all contract volumes supplied by our farmers.  

“We urge farmers to continue preparing and conserving adequate fodder to ensure that milk production remains at optimum levels across all seasons. We have established fodder resource centres across the country for the propagation and distribution of Super Napier grass to farmers,” he said.

The manager added that the processor would also work with farmers on the improvement of dairy cow genetics, having distributed semen straws and liquid nitrogen to partner groups and medium-sized farms for artificial insemination.