- This is in addition to another Sh138 million paid to the farmers last June.
- Pancras Mwangi, a dairy farmer from Ichamara route in Murang’a County who delivers to Brookside said what matters to farmers is what goes to their pockets.
Image: HANDOUT
Dairy farmers are set to receive bonuses for milk delivered to Brookside Dairy between June and November this year.
On Saturday, farmers contracted to the processor got an early Christmas gift when the processor released Sh182 million in reward bonuses.
This is for milk delivered between June and November this year. This is in addition to another Sh138 million paid to the farmers last June.
Pancras Mwangi, a dairy farmer from Ichamara route in Murang’a County who delivers to Brookside said what matters to farmers is what goes to their pockets.
“Why should I involve myself in tea, with all the controversies surrounding the crop? With regular and guaranteed payment from Brookside, I can meet my family’s financial needs. Now they have topped it up with a bonus for every kilo of milk delivered to them,” he said.
In West Pokot county, the first bonus payout in June is said to have occasioned a major shift from the cultivation of potatoes in Lelan and areas bordering Marakwet West, with several farmers opting to do dairy to benefit from Brookside’s guaranteed payments for milk.
Emmanuel Kabaki, Brookside’s General Manager for milk procurement said the farmers were rewarded for meeting agreed milk supply targets in both quantity and quality.
The latest payout, under a reward scheme operated by the firm, will benefit dairy groups and individual farmers across the country who signed up for the programme and have been supplying raw milk to Brookside during the contract period.
“The farmer groups and individual suppliers who benefitted are those who signed up for our reward scheme and were given raw milk supply targets, for both quantity and quality. We are rewarding these farmers as a recognition of their toil in meeting these targets,” he said in a statement.
“The reward is a demonstration of our excellent working relationship with all our 160,000 raw milk suppliers across the country. It has boosted the supply of high-quality milk, thus enabling us to tap into a larger share of high-value products.”
Over time, the volumes and quality of milk supplied to the processor have continually grown, with this year’s intakes rising on better dairy practices by farmers.
The growth in milk volumes is also attributed to an aggressive farmer empowerment programme by the processor.
This year alone, Brookside spent over Sh 30 million in farmer extension services, as it sought to consolidate its market leadership position in Kenya’s dairy market, according to Kabaki.
“Nearly 35,000 dairy farmers have benefited from our extension services, which include field day training and the use of demonstration farms to showcase best practices in the dairy enterprise,” he said.
The processor has also been working with farmers in the establishment of fodder for dairy cows, besides working on breed genetic improvement through support with semen straws.
It has also been engaging farmers in afforestation initiatives, to ensure sustainable dairy production through increased tree cover. The firm has also been training dairy co-operative officials on best management practices.
“The attribute of quality, for which our dairy products are known, cannot be achieved without the involvement of our farmers in the production and supply of quality raw milk,” Kabaki said.
He called on farmers to prioritise initiatives that encourage the growth of milk production, such as investment in year-long availability of fodder and water for dairy animals.