Relief for farmers as KCC takes up 65,000 litres to avert losses

Over 6000 dairy farmers from Kirinyaga county have a sigh of relief after New KCC agrees to take up 65,000 litres of milk from Kirima dairy cooperative society to avert loses which farmers have incurred for few weeks.

Farmers have been counting loses after the government parastatal reduced the intake of milk from farmers’ cooperative which has led to huge loses.

According to Kirima dairy cooperative society Manager Wachira Chomba, the New KCC reduced the amount of litres from 45,000 liters of milk to 25,000 daily a move that have left farmers with nowhere to sell their milk.

Chomba says that they have been in crisis and farmers have been left in confusion even investing so much into their farming

He says that they have been forced to pour the excess milk after the KCC slashed their milk intake adding that market has been a big challenge for some days.

Following the outcry from the farmers, Kirinyaga country government officials together with management of new KCC and Kirima dairy board held a crisis meeting to avert the loses.

Kirinyaga County Executive Member in charge of cooperatives Calbert Njeru has revealed that New KCC has agreed to take up 65,000 litres of milk daily from the cooperative.

Njeru has lauded the move adding that farmers will not have a sigh of relief since the cooperative will resume collecting milk from farmers due to the available market.

Kirima management has assured farmers that they will resume collection of all milk calling for farmers to be calm and continue working hard in their farming.

To avert such crisis the management says that they have engaged other partners to enhanced value addition to minimize such loses.

It is said that Kiganjo dry milk facility in Nyeri county which is meant to avert such crisis in the region has not been operational and remains idle despite government investing money in developing the facility.