Dairy farmers in Gatundu North Sub-County have been urged to improve milk production in order to reap optimal returns from their investments.
Speaking on Monday to dairy farmers in Mang’u, Martin Wanjau, a veterinarian in the area stressed on the need for farmers to form groups that could provide an opportunity for members to discuss challenges related to specific issues among them modern farming technologies so as to improve milk production.
“Establish groups with unique agenda and goals whose overall purpose is to build upon the shared knowledge and experiences of the group to create resources, promising practices and other opportunities,” he said.
Wanjau commended Ukoo Cooperative Group for its efforts to embrace value addition such as processing of yoghurt, noting that this was the direction to take in order to compete with other milk processors.
“The milk processor developed recently is positioned to compete fairly with giant dairy farms across Kiambu County. The demand is very high for the milk but you farmers cannot meet it,” he added.
Wanjau noted that though the sector was growing by the day, issues of climate change and high cost of farm inputs were posing a serious challenge to farmers.
“Ensure that you store enough animal feeds that can last over three years and this will guarantee you consistency in milk production despite the harsh climate,” he advised.