Kitui County Governor Charity Ngilu has launched Livestock transportation trucks in a bid to reduce losses farmers incur to move livestock to markets.
When launching the initiative, Governor Ngilu said “the Livestock transportation trucks here today are modified to help Kitui livestock farmers and traders with safe, quick and efficient transport for their animals to various markets.”
She explained that 1000 animals trekking lose approximately 20,000 kgs of beef daily.
Considering that each kilogram has a market value of Ksh500 it means Kitui loses Ksh10 million shillings daily as a result of this obvious unattended problem.
Every week therefore she said they lose Ksh60,000,000 and in a year we lose approximately Ksh3.1 billion.
“The benefits from this program will be reaped by the farmers and traders through higher earnings. This will create wealth within the livestock sector and for Kitui households”, she added.
She asserted that the returns from these trucks will be re-invested back into the livestock industry.
She added that livestock traders will be well represented in the running of these trucks to ensure equity and fairness.
