KAGRC confirms two million livestock semen doses ready for farmers nationwide

The Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Centre (KAGRC) has assured farmers across the country that it has enough semen stock to supply to farmers in various counties to support a national effort aimed at doubling milk production by 2027.

Dr. Roselyne Wambugu the head of extension services directorate from the KAGRC while addressing the farmers in Bomet county during the launch of E-Voucher Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccination and Digital Livestock Identification which is part of a broader project to increase market participation and value addition for target farmers in select value chains.

She confirmed to the farmers that KAGRC currently holds two million doses of semen from assorted breeds, which are ready for supply.

“I want to assure the farmers that we as KAGRC have enough doses semen of 2 million assorted breeds that are enough for the farmers. Roseline said.

She reiterated the agency's dedication to achieving the ambitious national target under the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) to double milk production within the next two years.

She further noted that, with the assistance of the Bomet County Government, KAGRC has successfully established a Liquid Nitrogen Plan for the Artificial Insemination (AI) within the county.

This facility is set to serve Bomet and its neighbouring regions, making quality genetic material more accessible.

“We have been working with the County government and we have set up a Liquid Nitrogen Plan that will serve this county and the neighbouring counties in rift valley,” Wambugu added.

She stressed KAGRC’s role in ensuring the overall health and quality of domestic animals in ensuring the target of raising the required quality of the livestock that will help in achieving the target of milk production.

According to her, they are responsible to provide necessary supplements and genetic materials for quality livestock after the National Agriculture Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) and other partners perform their duty of vaccination.

"When the National Agriculture Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) does its part in value chain development, we come in responsibly to provide the necessary supplements and genetic material to ensure the quality of our cattle," she added.

She added that the government has subsidized artificial insemination services, allowing farmers to access semen at prices as low as one thousand shillings through their dairy cooperatives.

She encouraged farmers to take advantage of this initiative to boost milk production and increase the production of female calves, ensuring continuous productivity.

“the government has subsidized the semen to dairy cooperatives and I want to encourage the farmers to take advantage of this so that we can ensure continuous productivity,” Wambugu said.

Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok thanked the national government for subsidizing the semen, which he called a crucial step in ensuring the health and productivity of the local cattle population.

"We thank the national government for the semen subsidy. This is a vital investment that will ensure our cows are healthy and free from diseases," Governor Barchok said.

He challenged Bomet farmers to take full advantage of the subsidized semen and the new digital services. He emphasized that widespread adoption of these resources is key to increasing milk output and boosting the region's overall dairy economy.