Bull semen plan to boost county herds

An ambitious artificial insemination project aimed at decentralising the storage of bull semen by constructing liquid nitrogen tanks has been launched.

Speaking in Nyandarua, Agriculture Secretary Felix Koskei said the government wants to take AI services closer to the people in a bid to help cattle farmers improve their breed for better milk output.

The CS spoke when he laid a foundation stone for a liquid hydrogen plant at Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) Ol Jororok station.

“When this plant is operational (by May this year), you will no longer travel to Nairobi or wait for supply lorries to make monthly deliveries,” the minister said.

He added that services at the Kabete centre had improved following the installation of new equipment and better bulls. This has seen semen storage increase from 500,000 to 700,000 tubes last year.

The Ol Jororok plant will serve Mt Kenya region and surrounding areas while another plant will be built in Kitale to serve western Kenya, he said.
  Nyandarua Governor Daniel Waithaka said the county had spent Sh4.5 million on the liquid nitrogen containers.