This archive report was first published on 23 May 2020.
On a 20-kilometre stretch from Eldoret, Biribiriet village is a thriving agricultural hub, with vast plantations of maize and tea. It is here that Erick Kiprotich, who quit his job in 2006, has established a successful dairy farm.
With a modest start of Sh10,000 from his savings in 2007, Kiprotich bought a calf from a local livestock market, marking the beginning of his dairy farming journey.
Fast forward to 2008, Kiprotich invested Sh200,000 to start his dairy enterprise, adopting zero grazing and leasing an acre to grow fodder. His 13 animals are hosted in a well-designed cowshed, measuring 22 metres long and six metres wide, with a milking parlour, feeding, watering, and walking areas, and a store to preserve feeds.
From his eight lactating cows, Kiprotich gets an average of 200 litres of milk each day, which he sells at Sh50 per litre at his milk shop at Biribiriet shopping centre. He also makes mursik, a delicacy in Nandi County, and sells it at Sh60 per litre.
According to Rhoda Omariba, a pasture expert at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro), dairy farming is a profitable business if feeding is done correctly. She advises farmers to form their own mechanism of feeding their livestock, such as growing forages to cut high dependency on industrial meals, which are costly.
Published on May 23, 2020.
