Brookside Dairy on Wednesday, December 9, began the process of paying out Ksh100 Million in bonuses to farmers.
The firm which is headed by chairperson Muhoho Kenyatta, paid the bonuses under a reward scheme to farmers who supply the company with raw milk suppliers countrywide.
The rewards target farmers’ groups which met agreed targets in supply volumes and raw milk quality parameters for deliveries made to the processor.
Brookside milk procurement and manufacturing director John Gethi encouraged farmers to register with
the raw milk bonus scheme which was started in 2018.
"The payout is not only a demonstration of our commitment to partnership with our farmers but also a show of business resilience in an exceptionally difficult economic year
"The attribute of quality in our dairy products cannot be achieved without the involvement of our farmers in the production and supply of quality raw milk," Gethi noted.
The program also plays a role in improving the farmers' earnings from the dairy enterprise as it pays up to Ksh42 per litre of raw milk which is the highest in the industry.
“We are desirous of transforming dairy farming into a profitable agricultural enterprise for all farmers, especially smallholders who form the bulk of those supplying us with raw milk,” Muhoho stated in 2018.
On his part, then -Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuriassured of the government's commitment to supporting initiatives that seek to motivate farmers to produce increased volumes of milk.
"However, there is a need to address challenges that prevent us from optimising the value of the dairy enterprise, such over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture,” CS Kiunjuri stated
The milk processor further stated that it would continue to build the capacity of farmers in best practices in the dairy enterprise, such as regular training of farmers.
Farmers lauded the reward scheme stating it was a great motivation to them as the company urged them to plow back the profits into the business to increase their capacity.
