Farmers in Uasin Gishu county have been urged to adopt modern silage manufacturing and storage technology to cut production costs and increase milk output.
This follows the launch of the modern feeds centres programme by the government through the Economic Transformation Secretariat.
The new initiative dubbed the Pets project is aimed at establishing modern animal feeds centres across the country.
During the launch at Moiben, officials introduced a high-capacity silage making machine capable of producing 200 bags per hour, a major upgrade from traditional methods which farmers described as time-consuming and costly.
General manager for the project, Denis Munene, said this was a game changer for modern farming in the country.
Munene noted that large amounts of maize stalks that have been going to waste would be easily transformed into profit through the project and urged farmers to embrace the new technology.
He added that the project will be rolled out across the country with Uasin Gishu set to be one of the main targeted beneficiaries.
Munene encouraged farmers to adopt value addition in animal feed production instead of over-relying on imported feeds.
The technology has already been embraced by the Tuiyot Farmers Society, a local cooperative made up of more than seven hundred dairy farmers who are now set to benefit from the newly acquired processing machine.
According to the farm group, the machine mixes maize stalks with molasses and other nutrients, producing high-quality animal feed that is expected to improve milk production in the region.
“We used to spend a lot of time and money making silage the traditional way. This machine will reduce our costs and save resources,” said farmer representative, Kiprotich Tuiyot, a member of the society.
Dairy producer Simon Cheploch also weighed in.
“Traditional silage creates problems for our cows. It affects digestion and reduces milk output. This new silage is safer, less wasteful and will keep our animals healthier,” Cheploch said.
Before the new system, large portions of maize residue were left littering farms, while some farmers burned stalks, contributing to both environmental pollution and post-harvest losses.
The farm cooperative noted that the new technology will offer a sustainable solution to the problem.
“Most of our maize stalks used to go to waste or get burnt. Now we finally have value addition,” he said.
Farmers further appealed for additional machines and government subsidy support to scale milk production.
BY MATHEWS NDANYI
