The high cost of animal feeds and proliferation of sub-standard feeds in the market have been blamed as some of the main reasons why many dairy farmers in Thika sub-county are opting out of dairy farming business for other ventures.
Speaking on Friday at Thika Technical Training Institute during the Kiambu County Agri-Business Trade Fair, Thika West sub-county Deputy Agricultural Officer Beatrice Mugo asked feed manufacturers that were present to work out a plan on how they could deliver their quality feeds to farmers directly to keep out middlemen whom she accused of stocking fake animal feeds and selling them to dairy farmers at exorbitant prices.
"The only solution to this problem of fake animal feeds in the market is for the reputable manufacturers to look for away of ensuring that what they manufacture is what the dairy farmer gets," said Mugo.
She added: "They can open depots in key towns and shopping centres where farmers can buy directly from them or their representatives and the prices could even come down with middlemen having been removed. Otherwise, many farmers will continue to leave dairy farming for other lucrative ventures because they are not getting the value for their money."
Mugo said that dairy farming was a good venture where almost every interested farmer in the area can fit in if the hiccups facing dairy farmers were removed or reduced. She said that the county government which had organised the trade fair in conjunction with the Kenya Livestock Producers Association (KLPA) is committed to boosting dairy farming in the sub-county and the county as whole through such forums where farmers can get some dairy farming knowledge and raise their concerns to the county government.