Corporate News
UAP joins Equity to launch livestock insurance scheme
A carcass of a cow killed by drought lies on a dry river bed in East Pokot District. Livestock farmers are set to reap from as new product aimed at compensating losses due to animal death. File
Posted Sunday, January 24 2010 at 16:04
The farmers are also targeted for coverage by a Sh400 million fodder improvement programme launched in late 2009 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to help improve their terms of trade in that the effects of the ravaging drought saw most pastoralist communities moving to sell off their livestock at throw away prices in order to source for key food items including sorghum and maize.
The Livestock ministry wants Sh700 million in addition to the Sh130 million earmarked for the exercise, permanent secretary Kenneth Lusaka said recently, adding that they had prepared a Cabinet memo requesting for the money.“The memo is ready and we shall present it so those who lost their herds can find a new source of livelihood,” he said a fortnight ago.
Thorough vetting
The government, however, insisted that farmers would be subject to thorough vetting procedures to avoid abuse of the exercise that comes only months after the government used Sh200 million to purchase livestock ravaged by the drought. “The reviews will be thorough so that those who were handed money to re-stock must show proof of their action. We hope the money wasn’t wasted on other things yet livestock remains the main source of livelihood for many,” Mr Lusaka said.
In an humanitarian gesture at the peak of the drought, the government offered to buy weakened animals from farmers for slaughter at the Athi-River-based Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) plant to help cushion them from the excesses of unfavourable weather.
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