By Josiah Kariuki
Nyamira County’s dairy sector received a major boost following the rollout of Phase II of the Livestock Value Chain Support Project (LVCSP).
This saw the official handover of five milk coolers to farmer groups in a move expected to strengthen milk collection, reduce losses and improve farmer earnings.
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The exercise was led by Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke and attended by Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Stephen Isaboke.
The visit focused on expanding the dairy value chain and improving livelihoods for local farmers.
The coolers, each with a storage capacity of 1,000 litres, were distributed to dairy farmer groups in Gesima, Kineni, Bonyasige, Kebirigo and Magwagwa.
The government estimates the intervention will directly benefit about 1,500 dairy farmers through improved milk preservation, lower post-harvest losses and stronger access to markets.
Officials said the infrastructure is expected to support the aggregation of nearly 5,000 litres of milk daily, translating to approximately 1.825 million litres annually with an estimated value of KSh 91.25 million.
Speaking during the event, leaders said investment in agricultural infrastructure remains critical to increasing rural incomes, strengthening food security and driving sustainable economic growth in farming communities.
They noted that improved storage systems and value addition initiatives are central to government plans to modernize the livestock sector and empower small-scale dairy farmers.
The rollout forms part of ongoing efforts under the Livestock Value Chain Support Project to improve efficiency across dairy production and marketing chains while expanding opportunities for farmers.
Also present at the event were West Mugirango Member of Parliament Stephen Mogaka, Kenya Daily Board member Josephine Omanwa, alongside local leaders, sector stakeholders and members of the farming community.
For West Mugirango, the Kebirigo Farmers Co-operative Society, drawn from Bonyamatuta Ward, was among the beneficiaries.
LVCSP is a priority initiative under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) priority aimed at increasing household incomes by 30 per cent by 2028, thereby improving livelihoods among targeted dairy farmers and pastoralist communities.
