Dairy farmers in Embu and Kirinyaga counties earned Sh1 billion from raw milk sales to processor Brookside last year, underscoring the important role of dairy to the economies of the two counties.

Data from Brookside shows that in Embu alone, dairy farmers were paid over Sh 615 million for raw milk sales to the processor, with another Sh 417 million disbursed to suppliers in Kirinyaga County, even as an increasing number of farmers in the two regions turn to dairy due to guaranteed returns from the enterprise.

The farmers, a majority of whom were previously involved in the tea value chain in areas bordering the Mount Kenya forest, said regular and guaranteed payments for milk delivered to processors had enabled them to meet their household budget needs. A number of them were also selling their milk to brokers in the area.

According to David Mutugi, previously, most of the milk produced in the upper parts of Embu and Kirinyaga went into the hands of middlemen, who offered no guarantees of income.

“The prices offered were also volatile, and often times we would be told that the rates had gone down, yet the brokers were making a kill selling the milk elsewhere,” Mutugi, who delivers to Brookside on the Gichago route in Embu using a motorbike, added.

“Due to assured payments, we are now seeing a trend where more farmers are opting to sell their milk to dairy co-operatives contracted by Brookside in the two counties,” Jessica Karuri, who delivers her milk to Rung’eto Dairy Farmers co-operative society, said.

“We continue to implement best practice in dairy, such as investment in feed preservation for our animals. This has ensured that the nutrition of our animals is improved for better milk production,” she stated.

Brookside Dairy, the leading market player in the two counties, says it will continue to invest resources in building the capacity of smallholder farmers in area, as it seeks further raise raw milk collection footprint.

Apart from providing a daily market for raw milk, the processor is also working with dairy groups in the two counties in provision of cooling tanks, besides ferrying the milk to its processing plant in Ruiru.