DP Gachagua has assured dairy farmers in Embu that the government’s decision to ban leather products importation is underway, with the government keen to revive the leather industry in the country.

DP Gachagua noted that Kenya being one of the countries with the highest population of livestock in Africa, reviving the leather industry will reduce the country’s expenditure on importation by over Sh9 billion annually, while employing at least 80,000 people.

“Under our Plan, the manufacturing strand, therefore, relies on the high performance of the Agriculture Sector under the various value chains. In investing in value addition, we are transitioning our country from an active imports-reliant to a vibrant export economy,” he said.

DP Gachagua said the government is supporting Embu county government in its bid to support dairy farmers as he commended Governor Cecily Mbarire over her performance and rolling out of value addition strategies on agricultural products.

He said Embu County dairy farmers will benefit from milk coolers as the government scales up the installations across the country. So far 365 coolers have been installed in key milk production areas.

“A small-scale dairy farmer in the relatively dry Mbeere region in Embu, who cannot afford a cooling system, will not worry about milk spoilage due to heat,” he said.

He added that the government has allocated over 400 million shillings to ensure availability of sexed semen for quality dairy breeds to farmers.