Bungoma County Chief Officer of Livestock and Fisheries Mr. Isaac Juma Aruput has urged Webuye residents to start rearing dairy cattle as plans of setting up a milk plant in Webuye town are underway, with the tender already awarded to a designated contractor. While addressing Webuye residents, Aruput said due to the problems facing sugarcane farmers in the County, Bungoma residents should embrace livestock farming since it offers a ready market for produce, keeping in mind the imminent construction of the milk plant, which will also provide employment opportunities for the youth.
He said the Livestock Ministry in Bungoma has made big steps, evidenced in the supply of milk coolers in almost all Sub Counties in Bungoma, with some constituencies having two coolers to help dairy farmers. In support of his calls for farmers to embrace dairy farming, he noted that most of the milk used in Webuye town comes from Uasin Gishu, and that the milk plant in Webuye may not fully benefit Bungoma residents if sufficient milk won’t be available. He also appealed to farmers to embrace modern farming technology, to enable them to maximize on their produce from a few livestock, instead of large herds that accumulate space but provide low income at the end of the day.