Dairy cooperatives are meant to cooperate and protect farmers – Kenya News Agency

Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSME Development Wycliffe Oparanya has called on the country’s dairy cooperatives to form partnerships to protect dairy farmers from unhealthy competition.

Addressing dairy cooperative leaders and farmers at the Nyambene New KCC plant in Meru County, the CS said dairy farmers are interested in market access and reasonable prices for their dairy products.

He asked New KCC to collaborate with private dairy cooperatives in the region to increase supplies and production at the dairy.

“All farmer-owned and individual-owned cooperatives are doing well in Meru. As for the State Corporation, the milk reserves for processing at the enterprise are too small,” Oparanya said.

Mr Oparanya condemned the underutilized state-of-the-art facility Nyambene New KCC, which was built at a budget of over Sh500 million.

However, he urged farmers to trust the corporation’s reform process, which has already yielded results: farmers receive salaries immediately on the first day of the month.

“I have given the management of New KSS just 90 days to turn around the loss-making organization, which will see a restructuring of human capital, an increase in the producer price per liter to 55 shillings, a reduction in payment terms to two weeks and, above all, prioritization. the welfare of the farmer,” Mr. Oparanya emphasized.

He noted that dairy cooperatives across the region are willing to work with the corporation to provide farmers with easy access to the market.

In a separate meeting with the board of Meru Central Dairy Co-operative Union Ltd., which is home to Mount Kenya Milk, during a tour of the facility, the CS highlighted the significant potential of the dairy sector, praising the work of farmers. owned by a cooperative for its commitment and high productivity, which processes over 450,000 liters of milk and supports over 1 million livelihoods across the value chain.

Cooperatives Principal Secretary Patrick Kilemi said the dairy value chain was central to the Bottom-Up Economic Agenda (BETA).

“Through cooperatives, we as a government are determined to ensure that farmers get better returns from milk production,” he said.

He stressed the need for cooperatives to adhere to good governance to ensure transparency, accountability and participation, which are necessary to build trust and enhance a sense of community among members.

Mount Kenya Milk CEO Kenneth Gitonga has welcomed the government’s decision to support farmers at the grassroots level with market access and better prices for their milk.

He noted that cooperatives will always work together to ensure that farmers have access to the nearest markets for their produce to reduce transportation costs to market and maximize profits.

“We are very willing to support the New KCC to ensure that farmers here in Nyambene supply milk to the plant. We do not compete as cooperatives because the market for dairy products is huge both in Meru and other regions,” Gitonga said.

Dixon Mwiti