The Meru County Government programme to boost dairy farming is picking up steam with many farmers opting for high-quality semen imported from Brazil.
Governor Peter Munya said farmers had so far utilised 840 of the 12,500 doses of Brazilian semen imported by the county for the artificial insemination (AI) programme.
According to the county chief, 168 doses had been supplied to farmers in North Imenti, 112 in Igembe Central and 121 in South Imenti.
BELOW POTENTIAL
Farmers in Tigania East, Igembe North and Igembe South have received 115,112 and 91 doses, respectively.
The county seeks to produce high-milk-yielding breeds in five to 10 years in order to make it one of the top producers in the country.
Meru’s total milk production currently stands at 100,000 litres a day, but Mr Munya and dairy officials have said this was is way below the county’s potential.
Munya said improved yields would significantly improve farmers’ income as the average yield for a single cow in Meru now stands at four litres.
“Our vision is to be the leading milk producer in the country,” he said.
The county has hired more AI officers and provided them with motorbikes to reach farmers in villages, as well as mobile telephones to be used whenever cows need to be served.
“We have employed 18 new AI officers and provided them with the necessary tools, which include 25 motor cycles and a AI van, with a fully equipped kit to provide extension services to the farmers,” said Munya.
The county chief advised farmers to embrace the programme and also reached out to the youth to participate in dairy farming, saying it was lucrative.
