The factories situated in Uasin Gishu, Bomet, Nyahururu, Nyeri, Trans Nzoia, Meru and Mombasa have been revamped to build capacity for dairy farmers.
Principal Secretary Cooperatives Ali Noor says the processing capacity for new KCC has doubled boosting farmers’ income.
“We have been having reforms in the dairy sector through KCC like modernizing its factories. We have modernised several factories since we started in 2015,” Noor said.
He said the government has already completed modernising factories in Eldoret, Sotik, Nyahururu and Kiganjo and is now working on the ones in Kitale and Miritini and a new factory in Nyambene.
“The essence of this is to allow farmers to have a place where they can sell their milk,” said Mr Noor.
He spoke during the Intergovernmental Forum for Agriculture at Pride Inn Hotel in Mombasa. Mr Noor said his ministry is also revitalizing institutional reforms in the coffee cooperatives
The PS said his department has also been restructuring the Kenya Platters Cooperatives Union.
“You know there was the sherry revolving fund which was introduced to help coffee farmers and then refurbishment of coffee cooperatives factories. We were able to carry out coffee societies performance audit whose report we are currently studying to see further areas of intervention,” he said.
He said his ministry is also reforming the cotton sector with the state department for crop development.
“Our role is the revitalisation of cotton and coffee ginneries. In the olden days when cotton was doing very well, we had several ginneries in this country under various cooperatives societies and over the years they have become desolate and wasted. But we are trying to revive and revitalize the sector,” he said.
However, he said the government has begun the journey with a ginnery in Funyula in Busia county.
“It is called Luanda ginnery, we have completed it and as soon as the cotton season is ready it will roll into activities. We are also planning to do some work in Homabay county which is ongoing,” he added.
