More than 600 smallholder dairy farmers in Muhoroni Constituency are set to benefit from the installation of two solar-powered milk coolers aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and improving market access in the region.
The coolers, each with a capacity of 1,000 litres, were handed over through a partnership between the State Department for Livestock Development and the Lake Basin Development Authority to support dairy cooperatives in Kisumu County.
The facilities to be installed at the Kisumu Dairy Development Centre (KDDC) in Nyangore Location, Chemelil Ward, and the LBDA dairy unit in Tonde Location, Muhoroni/Koru Ward target to reduce losses and enhance access to markets for the local farmers.
State Department for Children Services Principal Secretary (PS) Carren Ageng’o, who represented Livestock Development PS Jonathan Mueke during the handover ceremony, said the coolers would serve as economic empowerment hubs for farmers in the region.
“These bulk milk coolers are not merely storage equipment, they are economic empowerment hubs that will transform milk into wealth,” said Ageng’o.
She said the project was expected to aggregate up to 2,000 litres of milk daily, translating to more than 730,000 litres annually and an estimated Sh35.8 million in earnings for farmers every year.
Ageng’o noted that the intervention would significantly reduce milk spoilage during peak production seasons when farmers often incur losses due to inadequate storage facilities.
She urged farmers to register under cooperative societies to benefit from similar government programmes, saying collective marketing would strengthen their bargaining power and attract investment into the dairy sector.
“If you are a single farmer, you may not benefit from what we are giving. But if you come together as groups and cooperatives, the government is supporting cooperative societies in a big way,” she said.
The PS said the government was keen on promoting grassroots economic transformation through agriculture and dairy value addition.
She added that the initiative would particularly empower women and youth by creating income-generating opportunities through dairy farming and milk value addition ventures such as yoghurt processing.
Trade PS Regina Ombam also challenged farmers to join cooperative societies to enable them access government support programmes and improve market competitiveness.
The coolers come with a complete solar-powered cold chain system, including storage tanks, solar panels, batteries and a 3 KVA inverter to ensure uninterrupted milk preservation even during power outages.
Muhoroni, once heavily reliant on sugarcane farming, has in recent years experienced economic challenges following the decline of the sugar sector.
The officials said the dairy initiative was expected to diversify household incomes and revitalise the local economy through increased milk production and processing.
By Chris Mahandara
