Vihiga: The Vihiga county government is set to establish a milk processing plant in a strategic move, aimed at improving dairy farming through value addition in the region. Governor Dr. Wilber Ottichilo stated that the initiative aligns with the County Integrated Development Plan (2023-2027) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target 2.3, which aims to double agricultural productivity and farmers' incomes.

According to Kenya News Agency, Dr. Ottichilo made these remarks when he received a delegation from Sangam Milk Producer Company of Guntur, India. The delegation, led by Chairperson Shri Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar and Managing Director Gopalakrishnan Pazhayaveetil, is in the county to explore partnership opportunities for setting up the facility.

The governor highlighted Vihiga's potential to significantly increase its milk production beyond the current 102,000 litres daily if local farmers adopt commercial dairy farming. He emphasized that the county government has already provided support to dairy cooperative societies by equipping them with coolers and other necessary resources to maximize productivity and enhance farmers' incomes.

The delegation conducted visits to several dairy farms across the county, including Angote Chris in Emusutswi, Sabatia Dairy Farm, Zachariah Musalia of Upper Hill Dairy Farm, and Lupean Dairy and Poultry Farm in Inyali, to assess their production capacity.

This engagement follows an earlier visit by the governor and his county team to India in May this year, facilitated through an existing Memorandum of Understanding with Velocity Project Management Limited, represented by Hari Murthi. During their current visit, the Indian firm is expected to present a detailed report on the proposed partnership to the county leadership.