MILK COOLING PLANTS TO BE SET UP IN ALL 30 WARDS
A total of 30 structures are to be built and commissioned in the next 2 months across the county whereby one structure is to be raised in each ward which will house the milk cooling plants that will be distributed once the structures are complete.
This is after the Department of Agriculture & Cooperative Development on Tuesday officially handed over cooling sites to the contractors for construction work to commence.
Speaking during the site handing over, the Chief Officer for Cooperative Development Dr. Benadatte Tiony noted that setting up of the structures to house the coolers is timely since the construction of a milk processing plant at kabiyet is ongoing.
An effort she says will help reduce the distance covered by farmers from their farm gates to the cooling plants for bulking before the milk is transported to the processing plant which will have capacity to process 100,000 litres of milk in a day.
In a bid to increase milk production in the county, the department has embarked on a programme to first improve the breeds of cattle in the county with an intention of getting high yielding cows in the near future.
Besides provision of affordable AI services, the department is currently rehabilitating 60 cattle dips, two in every ward, as a primary measure of disease control among other vital extension services.
Dr. Tiony urged the primary dairy cooperative societies to join the Nandi County Dairy Cooperative Union as this is the apex and it will help them have a unified voice as the dairy sector.
For sustainability, the Chief Officer advised the cooperators to regularly participate in capacity building and trainings on leadership, management and governance which will be sponsored by the Cooperative Department.
Provision of the cooling machines will not only enhance sale of quality milk but also eliminate milk hawking of contaminated milk.
Also present during the site handing over were the Sub County Administrator, area MCAs and the management of respective cooperative societies. Residents welcomed the initiative saying that it will also create employment opportunities for their children who have a background in milk handling