Farmers get Sh19m funding boost

Suka Dairies Manager Dr Edwin Mutai at the factory on May 21, 2019 in Subukia. [Harun Wathari/Standard]

Subukia-based Suka Dairies has received a major boost after it received a Sh19 million grant from an international organisation.

The money from Heifer International will go towards the completion of its milk processing plant.

The cooperative’s manager Dr Edwin Mutai said that the funds were channelled to them through the donor’s subsidiary - Sharewealth Ventures - earlier this week.

“We have received the first tranche of the cash, which will go towards the completion of the compliance processes with various agencies before we can start releasing the processed milk to the market,” said Mutai.

He said part of the funds would also go to procuring a refrigerated van for supplying the final products, labelling materials and a bottle capping machine.

The cooperative is fully owned by local farmers who started it in 2008 in a bid to fetch better prices for their produce.

Heifer International previously donated milk coolers to the cooperative, enabling the farmers to add value to their milk.

In 2016, the farmers also received a Sh100 million grant from USAID India to set up a cottage industry that has a capacity to process 16,000 litres of milk daily.