Agriculture and Livestock production Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri who attended the award ceremony at the Brookside Headquarters called upon farmers to manage the cost of production so as to attain maximum profits/CFM NEWS
NAIROBI,Kenya,Dec 6-Dairy Farmers supplying milk to Brookside Dairy Limited Company have now started enjoying benefits inform of bonuses like their tea farmers counterparts.
This is after Brookside Dairy Limited Company on Wednesday,for the first time ever awarded bonuses to top raw milk suppliers across the country who have been consistent in supplying quantity and quality milk to the processor since the beginning of this year.
Agriculture and Livestock production Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri who attended the award ceremony at the Brookside Headquarters called upon farmers to manage the cost of production so as to attain maximum profits.
“There are a lot of inefficiencies across the dairy value chain particularly at the farm level resulting to increased cost of processing and production . The farmer needs to adopt modern dairy farming practices so as a generate good returns and improve livelihoods,” said Kiunjuri.
Kiunjuri also urged County Governments to adopt the Early Childhood Development and Education centers (ECDE) milk feeding program so as to give children the essential nutrients found in milk necessary for growth and development.
Already eight counties have enrolled in the program.
The Company’s Director for milk procurement and manufacturing John Gethi said the introduction of this bonus program is aimed at motivating and encouraging farmers to increase their supplies as well as supplying high quality milk.
“This is the first time our farmers are getting annual bonus from production of milk that they have sold to Brookside, we are trying as much as possible to encourage farmers and tell them that the harder you work the more you are going to earn in terms of revenue and God willing we will do this forever ,” said Gethi.
Different categories of farmers ranging from individuals to cooperatives were awarded with a cheque amounting to Sh 100 million by the Company’s Executive Chairman Muhoho Kenyatta.
Gethi encouraged farmers to plough back the bonuses to the dairy farming so as to increase production.
He further said they will continue with the program of supplying free milk in Nairobi County’s ECDE centers which started in September this year.
Following their donation,the ECDE centers has recorded an increase in enrolment as reported by the Nairobi Education Executive Janet Ouko.
