Dairy Farmers Visit Kenya to Benchmark Best Farming Practices

KENYA - Farmers contracted to supply milk to Fresh Dairy have benefitted from a benchmarking visit to Kenya where they learned ways of growing milk production through investing in animal feed preparation and conservation.
calendar icon 16 April 2019
clock icon 1 minute read

The visit by 12 farmers from Sembabule district is an industry first, as Fresh Dairy seeks to consolidate its leadership at the apex of Uganda’s raw milk market.

During the visit, farmers toured farms in Central and Eastern Kenya, going through demonstrations on animal feed conservation, clean milk production and general animal husbandry.

The farms visited are owned by farmers contracted to East Africa’s largest processor Brookside Limited, who also own Fresh Dairy.

"We are grateful for this visit, I have learnt some new ways of keeping grass for animals longer such that when there is drought like it is now, I don’t have to suffer," Vincent Kagumaho, one of the of the 12 dairy farmers from Sembabule who visited Kenya said.

"I have realised that it is possible to maintain steady milk supply volumes through storage of animal feed, which comes in handy during the dry season."

According to farmers, the initiatives undertaken by the processor, together with regular and guaranteed payment for milk supplied, had made many farmers turn to dairy as a generator of regular income.

John Gethi, Fresh Dairy’s director of milk procurement, said the visit by the farmers encourages peer-to-peer education among smallholder farmers.

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Source: New Vision

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