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County Executive Committee member (CECM) for Finance and Economic Planning Jackline Njogu together with County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries Dr. John Gachara celebrating Runto yogurt at Rungeto farmers’ cooperative.

Kirinyaga dairy farmers celebrate launch of new yoghurt product

News / Thu, 11/07/2024 - 09:35

DAVID WANDETO-KNA 

Dairy farmers in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, have a reason to smile after one of their cooperatives launched its first yoghurt product in the market.

The value addition initiative was supported by the County Government of Kirinyaga through the Wezesha Empowerment Programme. 

The county government installed yoghurt-making equipment at Rung’eto Farm ers’ Cooperative Society, which has the capacity to produce up to 200 liters of yoghurt per hour. 

Speaking during the launch of ‘Runto Yoghurt’ at the factory situated at Ngariama Ward in Gichugu Sub-County, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Finance and Economic Planning Jackline Njogu said the production line is part of the Kirinyaga County government’s initiative to increase farmers’ earnings from dairy value addition. 

The CECM said that through several other initiatives, like subsidized artificial insemination (AI), subsidized animal feeds, the supply of milk coolers, and backup generators, as well as training on livestock diseases and husbandry, farmers have been able to increase pro duction, resulting in a rise in earnings.

Jackline said the launch of the yoghurt product is one of the many success stories achieved through the Wezesha Empowerment Programme. 

Several other cooperatives—Kirima, Pondago, New Ngariama, Rukingo, and Kirinyaga Dairy— have also benefitted from the dairy sector revitalization initiatives. 

Jackline mentioned that Kirinyaga has about 90,000 dairy cows, which produce an average of 65.3 million liters of milk annually. “The county government began working with Rung’eto Cooperative to bring to life our vision of putting more money into the pockets of farmers through Wezesha Kirinyaga. 

Our focus is not only on supporting milk production but also on capacity building and training,” Jackline said. She emphasized that the dairy sector interventions have led to a remarkable increase in milk production. 

“When we started, farmers produced around 3,000 liters of milk daily.