Dairy farmers in Busia are embracing Artificial Insemination (AI) in breeding exotic cows to bridge the 40 million litres gap of milk deficit within the county, in an effort to attain the government’s big 4 agenda.
The county has therefore partnered with Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems (KCDMS), Feeds Africa and Orion Farm care enterprise through Fixed Time Artificial Insemination, where farmers get improved calves that are of high yields.
USAID has announced ‘Feed the Future Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems Activity; a five-year plan (October 2017- September 2022), designed to facilitate improved productivity and development of competitive, resilient, and sustainable dairy and horticulture market systems in selected counties in Eastern and Western regions of Kenya.
Speaking in Sidende area, Bukhayo West ward in Nambale Sub County, Denis Odhiambo, a Veterinary Doctor in Busia, said they have reached to over 3,000 farmers within the county who have embraced AI technology with a view to improving breed that is more profitable with a potential yield of producing over 20 litres of milk per cow in a day compared to indigenous breeds.
“We managed to reach out to over 3,000 farmers within Busia County with the help of KCDMS and already 1500 have been inseminated trough Fixed Time Artificial Insemination. Through the process, we already have 150 calves and a number of in-calves,” Odhiambo said.
“In this programme, we advise farmers to keep few cows but which can produce more in terms of milk and money,” he said.
Odhiambo noted that despite the climatic condition in Busia County, which is normally hot and very hostile to dairy farming, farmers adopt the technology to produce calves that are adaptive to the environment.
Busia County officer in charge of dairy farming, Radoli Shiundu who was also present noted that dairy farming is one of the majorly prioritized projects in the county.
In support of this project, the county government has distributed about 1,600 dairy cows to farmers in every ward for the past 5 years now. Busia county has developed two dairy Parks in Butula and Teso North sub counties
“We have put in place more strategies to improve dairy farming such as donating cows known as heifer breeds to farmers which produce close to 20 litres of milk per day,” Shiundu said.
Shiundu confirmed that since the introduction of this breed of cows into the wards, milk productivity has risen from 26 million litres to 32 million litres in the county, which is a great improvement.
