Livestock traders will benefit from Sh1.5 billion loan the government has offered for purchase of animals in 23 countries hit by drought as farmers fail to insure their stock.
The cash will be disbursed via the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) at a negotiated rate, says Agriculture cabinet Secretary Willy Bett. The corporation offers loans to farmers at about 10 per cent.
“We have established this fund so that traders can have an easy access to cash in form of loans to help in purchasing the animals from affected areas,” said Mr Bett.
This will ease the pain of livestock farmers who have seen scarcity of forage and water wipe out stock of cattle, goats and sheep. Mr Bett pointed out that the government will do everything possible to ensure that only a few animals succumb to drought this year.
The CS says Kenya Meat Commissioner will also work with staff from the national and county governments to identify animals for slaughter processing into corned beef.
“We want these animals to be identified early enough and slaughtered before they die as it has been the case in the previous years,” he said.
According to the Kenya Post-Disaster Needs Assessment for the 2008-2011 drought, there were substantial livestock deaths in that period, mostly in the north, worth an estimated Sh56.1 billion.
The State will also buy supplementary feeds for breeding stock and milking after the loan cash is exhausted.
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