The County AI program that was launched by Governor Stephen Sang during the launch of Nandi County's BIG FOUR AGENDA on 24th September 2018 is beginning to pay dividends and changing lives of many Dairy farmers across the county.
While launching the program, Governor Sang said that his administration was keen on revitalising the dairy sector in the county that had declined.
To ensure that the agenda of improving the sector succeeds, he enumerated the plans that his administration had put in place. Part of the plans that he has laid out included the launch of subsidized AI services, hiring of AI service providers, renovation of cattle dips, subsidized accaricides, purchase of motorcycles for the service providers, installation of milk coolers across the county and the construction of a Milk processing plant in the county as well as formation and amalgamation of Dairy cooperative societies in the county.
Since the roll out of the AI program, more than 12,000 cows across the county have been served. The types of semen given to farmers include conventional and sexed which are available for Ksh600 and Ksh2300 respectively.
The county hired 30 AI service providers across the county and equipped them with motorcycles that enables them to move within their respective wards with ease. It also operationalized 60 cattle dips across the county and supplied more than 5000 litres of accaricides. The county also installed 6 coolers within the county and expects another 24 to be installed. This will reduce wastage of milk as it will guarantee proper storage. The proposed construction of a milk processing plant is also on course. The county has already identified the land to put up the plant and bidding for the construction is ongoing.