Nandi Dairy Farmers Get New Milk Coolers to Cut Losses and Improve Earnings

Dairy farmers in Nandi County are set to benefit from improved milk handling after the government delivered five milk coolers to cooperatives across the county to reduce spoilage and improve the quality of milk reaching processors.

Each of the five coolers has a capacity of 2,000 litres, giving dairy cooperatives additional storage capacity for freshly collected milk before it is transported to processing facilities.

The equipment was delivered last week as part of efforts to strengthen the dairy value chain and address post-harvest losses that continue to affect farmers, particularly in areas where milk collection and transportation can take several hours.

Rapid cooling is important in maintaining milk quality after milking. Without adequate cooling facilities, milk can deteriorate quickly, especially when farmers and cooperatives lack reliable collection infrastructure.

The new coolers are expected to allow cooperatives to consolidate milk from farmers and preserve it at lower temperatures while awaiting collection by processors. This could help reduce rejected milk and protect farmers from losses associated with spoilage and poor quality.

For dairy farmers in Nandi, where milk production is an important source of household income, better storage infrastructure could also strengthen their bargaining position within the formal milk market.

The intervention comes as Kenya continues to invest in dairy value-chain infrastructure to improve productivity and reduce losses between the farm and processing plant. Farmers have frequently identified inadequate cooling and transportation facilities as major constraints to expanding commercial dairy production.

Improved milk quality can also benefit processors by ensuring that more of the milk collected meets required standards. For farmers, this can translate into more consistent market access and better returns when quality-based pricing is applied.

The five coolers will serve dairy cooperatives across Nandi County, providing farmers with closer access to milk collection and cooling facilities.

Agricultural officials and cooperative leaders are expected to ensure the equipment is properly managed and maintained so that farmers can derive long-term benefits from the investment.

The government hopes that strengthening milk collection infrastructure will help reduce wastage, improve the quality of locally produced milk and increase earnings for dairy farmers as Kenya continues to develop its livestock and dairy value chains.