Dairy farmers at Siyoi ward in West Pokot County have received milk processing machines worth Sh9,993, 000 from the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project. The Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) is a five-year government of Kenya project jointly supported by the World Bank. It offers a prompt and efficient response in the case of a crisis or emergency in the community. The KCSAP project objective is to help increase agricultural productivity and build resilience to climate change risks in the targeted smallholder farming and pastoral communities in Kenya. Speaking when he received the multi-million processing plant machines and equipment in Siyoi ward, West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin stated the plant will help boost the income of dairy farmers at the ward level, in neighbouring wards, and in the county at large. The governor said they have received 70 per cent of the milk processing machines needed for value addition, and the remaining 30 per cent will be delivered over the course of the week. He said the milk processing machines include milk value addition machinery and equipment, laboratory equipment, water tanks and water harvesting accessories, solar panels and accessories, and milk dispensing ATM machines. The governor said the machinery and equipment will be used to process yogurt, milk, and cheese, among other milk products. He pointed out that the plant is for value addition and will empower the members of the multi-produce cooperative society and community through the provision of better milk prices and sustainable markets for milk in the region. ‘When it opens up, the plant will enhance the livelihoods and income of farmers who for long have been facing exploitation,’ Kachapin said. According to Kachapin, the plant will benefit the community through access to affordable, high-quality milk that will attract competitive milk product prices. He added that the milk plant is part of the government’s initiatives to end poverty by creating employment through the application of modern technology and by placing non-employed youths in skilled jobs. Kachapin disclosed that the county government will purchase a cooling machine for the storage of processed milk products to avoid spoilage. He disclosed that his administration has put forward strategies to install a cooling plant in the near future in order to fully maximize the plant’s capacity. To ensure the sustainability of the milk cooperative society, he asked those in charge to make sure they hired people with the necessary skills to operate the milk processing equipment. He said that the World Bank, through KCSAP, had been very helpful in the region in the implementation of projects that had helped increase food security and improve community livelihoods. The governor said he will be assisting farmers to get good dairy cattle with a view to boosting milk production in the area so that the plant can get enough milk for processing. He urged youth to avoid drug use and instead get involved in worthwhile activities and projects, such as farming for a living. Kachapin declared the artificial insemination (AI) service to be free to enable cattle farmers to upgrade their cattle breeds to higher-quality dairy breeds. ‘I encouraged farmers to adopt new technology, such as artificial insemination, to enhance breeding and production. In addition, veterinary services must be provided free of charge to farmers,’ the governor said. He challenged the farmers to take advantage of the free AI services to improve their dairy breeds for those that have the ability to produce more milk. He warned government veterinary doctors who are offering AI services at a fee to provide them free of charge to farmers. The county boss further highlighted that the government will be tarmacking the roads to ease movement in the region. To improve local potato production, the governor distributed 370 bags of certified potato seeds, each weighing 50 kilograms, to farmers. The KCSAP West Pokot County Project Coordinator, Philip Ting’aa, called upon the dairy farmers to work hard and ensure milk productivity is increased to maximize the milk processing plant. He said through KCSAP, farmers in the region have been distributed pasture and fodder seeds for planting as a way of enhancing adequate animal feeds. He added that dairy farmers have also been supplied with feed choppers for cutting fodder for livestock. Ting’aa confirmed that KCSAP value chain projects’ support has greatly improved livelihoods for many households in the region. The coordinator encouraged farmers to diversify their farming activities by engaging in other alternative agricultural value chain activities for a living. He noted that a total of 7,034 galla goats, 3134 dorper sheep, 76517 indigenous chickens, 3706 kilograms of green grain seed, and 1764 kilograms of sorghum have so far been distributed to smallholders to help boost their productivity and income.
Source: Kenya News Agency