Kenya revamping the dairy sector.

Dairy farmers in Kenya are positioning themselves to benefit from the commercialization of embryo transfer, a breeding technology being introduced by two firms in central and Rift Valley areas. The technology involves harvesting and implanting a developed embryo into a surrogate cow. Gakindu Dairy Co-operative Society in Mukurwe-ini sub-county of Nyeri and Makongi farm in Uasin Gishu County are piloting the technology which they say would considerably reduce costs of high quality dairy heifers. The project is expected to increase milk collection from current five to 30 litres per cow every day. Makongi firm has entered into a partnership with Invitro Brasil, one of the largest embryo companies in the world, to set up the first laboratory to offer farmers cheaper breeding options. The firm has built a laboratory which has a capacity to produce more than 20,000 embryos annually with a projected success rate of 45 per cent. This new technology will assist farmers to get quality heifers and embryos at reasonable prices. The technology entails removal of female eggs (oocytes) from a cow and transferring to a laboratory where it is fertilized with semen imported from Europe (Scandinavian countries or France) before it is placed into an incubator. The oocytes are extracted from the animal through the use of an improvised plastic tube and stored in a cool box before it is transferred to the lab more