By Okong’o Oduya
Busia County: Busia residents have been called upon to embrace dairy farming as a way of increasing milk production in the county.
Chief Officer Department of agriculture in Busia County government Ms. Ruth Mukhongo, says milk production is low compared to demand in the County.
Addressing farmers in Buduma village in Marachi East, Butula Sub County during the distribution of 30 dairy cows bought by the county government, Mukhongo said dairy farming is yet to be realized despite high consumption.
According to Mukhongo, the county consumes up to 30 million liters of milk annually but what is produced is only 3 million liters, a deficit of 27 million liters yearly.
“We are yet to exhaust the milk market in the county, there is still the potential of milk production in the county yet there is nobody to produce it. Today as a county we can only produce 3 million liters of milk annually and yet we need 30 liters, which means we have the challenge to fill the remaining 27 million liters years,” says Mukhongo.
She also encouraged farmers to adopt grass planting whether they own dairy cows or not, terming it as another source of income.
“Besides nappier grass which is mostly known to many, there are other varieties of grass that are more nutritious such as bracavia and desmodium and you don’t need to own a dairy cow to plant them. You can plant them and sell to those with dairy cows,” she said.
She advised schools in the region to offer practical training to students on matters pertaining to dairy farming to equip the students with knowledge that can be helpful to them in the future.
She said the County is already constructing milk parks in Chakol Northward in Teso south and Marachi East in Butula sub-counties to provide a ready market for the milk from farmers in the county.
“The construction of milk parks in Teso south and Butula sub-counties is going on. We expect by the end of the year they will be operating and they will require milk to run. Each plant will require at least 3000 liters of milk a day, and we want the milk to come from the locals here,” she said
The area member of the county assembly of Busia Julius Ochou warned the farmers from selling the cows they have been given saying that those who will do so will be prosecuted.
Ochou reminded the farmers that the County enjoys good climatic and weather patterns if well-utilized dairy farming can thrive.
He urged groups, schools, and individuals that received the cows to take collective responsibility in taking care of the cows to reap big.
He asked them to utilize agricultural extension officers in the county to seek advice and training on how to take good care of the cows in an event they get sick or need special attention.
He assured them, that the agricultural extension officers will be going around collecting data on a monthly basis on the progress of the cows and if a group or an individual will be found mishandling the heifer, it will be taken away and given to another responsible group.
Fredrick otweli , a farmer and a beneficiary applauded county government for promoting dairy farming by giving them heifers adding that in few years time almost every family in Busia will be producing milk for commercial purpose , contrary to the current situation.
2019/2020 financial year Busia County government has spent more than Ksh 400 million in purchasing already in-calved heifers and distributed them to farmers across the county to help tap the milk market in Busia.
Busia County being along the Kenya – Uganda border opt to go for imported milk from Uganda and Rwanda to meet the rising milk demand.
