The World Bank has granted Nakuru county Sh54 million that will be used to boost the dairy farming sector.
Nakuru county boss, Governor Lee Kinyanjui said that the funds were allocated to 13 farmer cooperative societies to address weak market frameworks, agricultural extension services, unavailability of certified seeds and improvement of storage so as to counter for the loses that 2,836 small farmers had.
The National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) is working together with the World Bank to promote growth in dairy cooperatives, Irish potatoes, local chicken, and apiculture. Individual unions will be formed to represent each sector and enhance the installation of processing plants and value addition chains.
Nakuru county is among the 21 counties that are yet to benefit from the fund. The project targets to reach out to 360000 people across the country.
When issuing cheques to 217 micro-enterprises, Governor Kinyajui encouraged farmers to join the existing research institutions and be educated and as well join cooperatives to enable them to develop good bargaining power.
Speaking to KBC, the county chief said that the devolved unit was collaborating with Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Kenya Plant Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Agricultural Finance Cooperation, Egerton University, and other organizations in developing farming technologies towards countering climate change and enhancing food security.
Dr. Immaculate Maina who is the Executive Committee Member for Agriculture noted that in 2018, farmers in the region sold 291 million litres of milk making sh 9.1 billion.
She added that the support from world bank would enable them tackle different challenges in the dairy sector.