• This is Sh2 more than its competitor- New KCC which increased the amount to Sh33.
• On January 15, Agriculture CS Peter Munya directed state-owned New KCC to pay Sh33 per kilo for its farmers from Sh27 and below.
Brookside Dairies will now buy a litre of milk from farmers at Sh35, an increase of Sh7 from the previous price.
This is Sh2 more than its competitor- New KCC which increased the amount to Sh33.
On January 15, Agriculture CS Peter Munya directed state-owned New KCC to pay Sh33 per kilo for its farmers from Sh27 and below.
While addressing the media, Munya said this was in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta's move in order to boost the dairy industry.
“Following the President's directive, I have authorised New KCC to immediately start buying milk from farmers at Sh33 per litre. The milk will be processed into powder for strategic food reserve as well as for use by GoK agencies & as relief food. GoK agencies will only buy local milk," Munya said.
John Gethi, Brookside’s director of milk procurement and manufacturing said the new rates, effective from almost mid-January, will see the firm’s raw milk suppliers earn up to Sh 35 for every kilo of raw milk supplied.
In a statement released today in Nakuru, Gethi said the move comes as the firm seeks to consolidate its 40 per cent leadership in the country’s milk market.
“The new prices are an incentive to our farmers to invest in climate-smart dairy practices, such as the establishment of fodder crops and pasture grasses during what appears to be an extended rainfall season,” Gethi said.
He said investment in fodder production would address the challenge of seasonality by ensuring consistency in milk production across all seasons.
“With the enhanced producer prices, we are urging all farmers to redouble their efforts towards sustainable farming by being deliberate in the planning for the cheaper option of farm-produced animal feeds,” he added.
He said Brookside has an installed processing capacity of 1.5 million litres of milk per day, operating over 60 raw milk cooling stations spread in 27 milk-producing counties.
“We call on our farmers to increase milk production in order to further benefit from this opportunity with the new price adjustment, which will also enhance their annual reward payout,” Gethi said.