The Murang’a County Government has unveiled an initiative to boost returns for milk and mango farmers.
The administration has allocated Sh200 million for the Minimum Guaranteed Returns (GMR) programme, which is being implemented after the assembly put in place a policy and legal framework to provide subsidies for the produce.
Towards the end of last year, the assembly approved an agricultural subsidy policy to lay ground for the GMR programme.
Speaking while launching the initiative in Gatunyu, Governor Irungu Kang’ata explained that registered farmers are paid a given amount over and above the price paid for their produce by factories. In the dairy sector, 16,504 farmers have received Sh3.5 per litre of milk on top of the amount paid by the processor. About 3,000 farmers, Mr Kang’ata revealed, are yet to receive their payments due to mistakes in filling in their personal details.
He said dairy farming is one of the county’s economic mainstays and the subsidy programme will go a long way to boost output and earnings.
The governor asked dairy farmers who are yet to join cooperative societies to do so to enable them to benefit from the GMR programme.
Mr Kang’ata revealed that the dairy farmer who received the highest pay got Sh63, 000 after delivering more than 18, 000 litres of milk per month.
Neglected sector
The mango sector, the governor said, was neglected and his administration has helped to form a cooperative society for the farmers.
“The farmers were paid Sh3.5 per kilo of fresh mango for each of the harvest months of February and March. We looked for buyers who were purchasing a Kilo of fresh mango at Sh16. Ading the subsidy to this amount, a farmer earned Sh19.5 per kilo,” Mr Kang’ata said.
Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, who graced the occasion, lauded the initiative.
Mr Kuria said the programme will create employment for thousands of people in the county.
He revealed that his ministry is working to support similar programmes in other counties and to encourage the youth to venture into agribusiness. BY DAILY NATION