Meru herders secure milk market

Over 2,600 livestock keepers in Arumeru District, Arusha Region, have secured a market for their milk, thanks to the commissioning of The Grande Demam Milk processing factory in the area.

The factory – which has received a cold room sponsorship from the Prime Minister’s Office through the Market Infrastructure Value Addition and Rural Finance Programme (MIVARF) – has a capacity of processing 400 litres per day.

The Grande Demam’s executive director, Dr Deo Temba told the Permanent Secretary in the President’s office, Prof Faustine Kamuzora on Wednesday, February 7 that his company will strive to ensure that livestock keepers have a ready market for their products.

He said sponsorship it received through MIVARF has enabled the company to purchase between 200 and 400 litres of milk from farmers, adding that pastoralists have been given education on how to raise efficiency and increase milk production.

“In 2014, I joined fellow elite from the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and a Kenyan colleague to establish this factory after purchasing a boiler for boiling the milk,” he said.

Prof Kamuzora said he decided to visit the area to as to learn the significance of the public-private partnership in creating employment opportunities and upping crop yields.

He challenged various councils in the district to start using milk products in their sittings instead of soft drinks in efforts to support farmers who are also herders.