This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
Published on June 12, 2020, a group of young men in Meru County have found a lucrative business in baling silage for dairy farmers.
Operating under the name Spen (K) Ltd, the group has been in operation since 2012 and offers services to dairy farmers, including making silage, training farmers on dairy management, marketing, breeding, and feed production.
Robert Murage, the director of the company, explained that the group started with 12 members who were trained by SNV, a Dutch organisation, and their aim was to train farmers on how to enhance their dairy farming through feeding, silage-making, milk hygiene, and fodder preservation.
The group has mechanised their activities by buying a Sh1.8 million round silage baler machine from India this year, which has increased their efficiency and income.
According to Timothy Mbugua, a group member, the machine has a capacity to make 10 tonnes of silage in eight hours, and they sell the baled fodder at Sh13 per kilo.
Phillip Oketch, a dairy expert in Meru County with SNV, noted that buying already packed and baled silage comes with advantages to farmers as they don’t have to strain looking for maize, machine, and people to package it.
