Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary Lawrence Omuhaka has called on farmers across the country to increase production to bridge the demand gap for animal products in the local and international markets.
While noting the tremendous growth that the sector experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Omuhaka noted the huge potential and lagging supply of animal products in the country, despite it being a huge contributor to the national resources.
Omuhaka who spoke at Nyahururu’s Animal Health Industrial Training Institute (AHITI), when he officiated the 40th graduation ceremony which saw 69 graduands awarded Certificates in Animal Health, said the sector boasted of a 6.5 percent growth during the pandemic, accounting for the largest percentage of Gross Domestic Product at 32.
Senior Deputy Director for Veterinary Services, Dr. Charles Ochodo, echoed that the country’s Per Capita Consumption was lagging behind as the current production was unable to meet the 18 kilos of meat demanded per person each year.
He regretted that Kenya was plagued by trans-boundary diseases like Foot and Mouth disease and the sector depended on the Animal Health Technicians and Assistants to provide services needed to implement the disease control strategies in place.
AHITI Principal, Dr. Esther Ng’ethe said the institution was committed to supporting the improvement of farm technologies with an intent of bringing together farmers in Nyandarua County to improve farm practices for improved productivity.
She said the graduates played a key role in control of zoonotic diseases which are transmitted between humans and animals and trained on prudent use of antibiotics in animals in an effort to reduce the microbial resistance that is a global concern.
Nyandarua County Commissioner Benson Leparmorijo regretted the perennial stock theft that had deprived families of their livelihood, noting that the security officers were working round the clock to wipe out the vice.
Leparmorijo faulted unscrupulous meat inspectors and officers who licensed transportation of meat and animals at night for hampering their efforts to combat the vice.