The government has been urged to revive sheep rearing in Molo sub-county which collapsed in the early 1990s due to political instability in the region.
A livestock officer, Richard Maina, said that in early 1990s, Molo was a leading producer of livestock and the area was famous for Molo lamb dish.
Speaking at Molo town, Maina said that the collapse of other agricultural sub-sectors such as pyrethrum and potatoes has nearly crippled the region’s economy.
Industries like Spin Knit in Nakuru, Raymond in Eldoret are yet to recover fully following the collapse of the merino sheep farming in Molo and other parts of the North Rift. The two industries mainly depended on the Molo sheep for their wool, which was the primary ingredient for producing woolen materials and garments.
Maina said that due to the popularity of the Molo sheep, big hotels still have kept Molo lamb in their menus. He added that sheep farming is more economical than dairy cattle because the former consume less.
He said the current sheep in the market are not pure Merino but cross-breeds. Maina indicated that for the farmers to revive the pure merino sheep, they will require assistance from the government to import the same from abroad.
He said the wool produced by the merino sheep cannot be produced by cross breed sheep since they do not have the capacity.