KIRINYAGA, Kenya — The Kirinyaga County government, led by Governor Ann Waiguru, has significantly expanded its subsidized animal feed program, now reaching 10,000 farmers, up from an initial 1,200. This initiative is part of the county’s broader effort to boost agricultural productivity and farmer income through the Wezesha Kirinyaga programme.
According to Kenya News Agency, the program’s expansion has been driven by the dual benefits of affordability and quality, which have led to a surge in demand for the subsidized feeds. During a recent event to flag off a bulk consignment of these feeds, Waiguru highlighted the program’s impact on reducing the cost of milk production for local farmers. The latest distribution, consisting of 360 bags of dairy feed, was handed over to the Kirima Dairy Cooperative Society, allowing livestock farmers to purchase feed at a subsidized rate of Sh.2300 per 70kg bag, significantly below the current market rate of Sh.2900 to Sh.3500.
The governor emphasized the positive outcomes of the subsidized feeds, noting an increase in milk production from 2.5 liters to 7.8 liters per cow per day, with an objective to reach at least 12 liters. To meet the growing demand, the county has augmented the factory’s production capacity by adding two manual and two semi-automatic processing lines, raising the daily output to 310 bags.
“This program is not only about supplying cheap but quality feeds to our farmers. It’s also a strategy to lower production costs, enabling farmers to earn more from dairy farming,” Waiguru stated. She underscored the importance of affordable feed in achieving this goal and mentioned the county’s collaboration with cooperatives for efficient distribution.
The subsidized animal feeds program is part of a comprehensive strategy to enhance dairy farming in Kirinyaga. This includes investments in quality animal feeds, artificial insemination, and value addition projects to improve dairy farmers’ profitability. To date, the county has distributed a total of 3,358 bags of dairy feeds through this initiative.
Additionally, the county has supported cooperatives in managing increased milk production by providing essential equipment such as milk coolers, standby generators, and yogurt processing machines for value addition. Beneficiaries include Kirima, Rukingo, Pondago, and Rung’eto cooperatives. Efforts to promote dairy farming further include the distribution of on-farm feed formulation equipment to 60 farmers groups, pulverizer machines to 27 groups, and grass cutters to 32 groups to aid in fodder production.