From one cow to 30, Kiambu farmer reveals secret of success

Alphaxard Ndung'u started his venture with one dairy cow six years ago at his parent’s farm in Kiamumbi, Kiambu county.

Today, he has increased the number to 30, says consistency is fundamental in any agriculture business.

“I have been able to increase the number to 30 inclusive of heifers and dairy cows. I have leased an eighth of an acre for five years at Sh60,000 per year to expand my farm and I plan to buy it over time,” the 31-year-old dairy farmer said.

Ndung’u says his Aplham farm seeks to meet the demand for quantity and quality milk in the highly populated area.

He says in a day, he produces 250 litres and yet he is still not able to meet the demand.

“Our milk is not adulterated and this has helped me maintain my customers for a long time. We do home deliveries and also supply milk to  schools," he said.

"A litre of milk goes for between Sh40 to Sh70 depending on the consumer, we have different prices for the traders, schools and individual buyers."   

Ndung’u is planning go get into value addition where he will be making yoghurt, mala, pasteurised milk and open other outlets to sell his produce.

He says value addition has more returns because you can produce yoghurt and sell a litre at Sh140 instead of selling raw milk at Sh70.

“This is double the price but going into value addition is expensive and an added cost which one has to be prepared for. But I am hoping for good times ahead,” he said.

In addition to producing milk, the farm is also a learning centre where farmers come train on dairy production and management.

Early this year, Ndung’u signed a five-year agreement with an NGO called Hand-in-Hand East Africa to train farmers on dairy production for the next five years.

He will be charging Sh1,700 per farmer who visits his farm and he will also be doing farm visits at a fee of Sh35,000 per day.

“I am also planning to start hosting schools so that children can learn more about dairy farming at an early age,” Ndung'u said.

He says the biggest challenge has been the high cost of animal feeds which forced him to become innovative and start producing his own fodder and silage.

“Prices of animal feed concentrates has skyrocketed from Sh2,000 to Sh2,600 for a 70kg bag," he said.

"This is a big increment that eats into the profits because at the end of the day, price of milk has not changed or increased."

Ndung'u urged that a lot need to be done to improve the dairy sector which has huge demands but poor legislation by government hinders the potential.

"Despite the fact that the dairy sector demand for milk is increasing. There is still a lot that needs to be done in terms of mainstreaming the price of inputs,” he said.

To address this, Ndung’u is producing his own fodder and stocks enough to last him for days.

“We do silage at the farm which is used for a period of time and I plant maize to supplement the diary feeds. It's critical to try and reduce cost I incur during production,” he said.

He said the war between Ukraine and Russia will worsen the situation because it will heavily impact some raw materials like soya bean and sunflower which are key in dairy production.

He called on government to try and regulate the prices of concentrates and look for ways to support farmers.

“I use about three to four bags of dairy meal in a day and supplement it with fodder, silage and hay. My cost of production per litre is about Sh35-Sh30 which is high, it should be between Sh25-Sh20," he said.

"However, as a dairy farmer I am working hard to try and reduce the cost and ensure I am able to produce in the most efficient way possible."

He has employed seven people in different roles and sometimes he also employs casual labourers.

He advises anyone who is interested in dairy farming to consider insuring their animals.

He says insurance varies with the value  and age of the animal but it is usually 3.5 per cent per cow in premium.

“Having an insurance cover for the animals comes in handy especially during bad days when there is a disease outbreak," he said.

"It's expensive, but at the end of the day it is important. Heifers are best to insurance."

He concludes by saying; “Passion is an important virtue in agriculture. It is not something you can achieve in a day. There are bad days but you have to keep pressing on."

(Edited by Tabnacha O)

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