Dubbed the SunBeam milk collection Kit, it is designed for milk collection centres and is expected to improve dairy the management system in the country.
The SunBeam milk collection kit features a streamlined, micro-processor controlled calibration and an output to a printer, personal computer or data logger which will enable processors to record amount and quality of milk delivered by a farmer in real time.
"Every organization needs Information Technology to grow," says Santosh Solanki, one of the director of Sun Beam technologies the firm behind the kit's innovation.
The new kit, according to Solanki who is a software programmer by profession will streamline the milk collection system in the Kenyan dairy sector by fast tracking the uptake of milk at collection points.
When milk is delivered by farmers at collection centres, it undergoes various processes such as weighing for its quantity, screening for any additives and quality.
According to Solanki, most dairy processors in the country carry out these processes manually, which consumes a lot of time.
With the kit however, which Solanki says is the first innovation of its kind in Africa , the time it takes for milk to be weighed and inspected for additives is reduced, a move Solanki adds is a plus for all stakeholders in the dairy sector.
The kit has three sets of interlinked equipment, the milk analyzer, a processing unit, and an electronic weighing machine.
The analyzer examines milk quality by examining specific components of milk.
Through it various components of milk such as milk protein, milk sugar are checked to know its quality.
Solanki notes that the automated system of examination and picking out components of fat, solids , added water and density for the milk delivered is easier through the use of the kit than the usual manual tests.
The electronic weighing scale component of the milk kit, with its micro-processor controlled calibration, he adds is more accurate as it shows the exact milk quantity as opposed to the analogue weighing scales being used at present by most dairy cooperatives.
"Most Cooperative societies use analogue weighing scales where they usually round off the figures during weighing," he adds.
Solanki notes that as a result, the reality is that in the long run what farmers get as their due pay is not really representative of their cumulative produce.
"This weighing scale is precise and the farmers have no reason to worry about making losses," he says.
And with the milk analyzer detecting any additives such as water, efficiently and fast for large volumes of milk, Solanki notes that dairy cooperatives are therefore able to ensure that quality of milk brought by farmers is up to required standard.
"The farmers themselves are also able to know whether their dairy management practices such as feeding practices are up to required dairy standards," he says.
Most dairy processors in the country use the alcohol test to establish milk content and Solanki notes that not only is this time consuming but not dependable.
A third key component of the kit is a processor which enables the data collected for the farmer to be dispersed to the central collection centres for the dairy organizations.
The kit provides for a function through GPRS that can allow for information to also be shared with farmers remotely.
This Solanki says enables the Dairy processors to link their milk collection centres with their head offices.
"Collected data can then be sent to a central data base for subsequent recording through a GPRS modem," he says.
The kit has inbuilt memory that can hold data for about 3,000 farmers for about three months.
Solanki reiterated that managing records manually is not only time consuming but also susceptible to fraud and errors.
Currently Kenya has about 200 dairy cooperatives.
Under the arrangement to equip farmers with information about their daily dairy input, every dairy farmer receives a detailed slip regarding their delivery immediately once the milk is weighed and analysis is done.
Such data which Solanki notes is collectable in about 20 seconds for each farmer can be fitted into the kit include name of the farmer, date of delivery, amount delivered, milk quality based on butter amount and fat rate, and earnings per day.
That it is precise in measurement and analysis of milk quality adds to enhancing transparency which he says will in turn and promote trust between farmers and the dairy cooperatives.
And with some processors such as the state owned New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) having proposed introducing a preferential milk quality payment system Solanki says the kit's use would become even more relevant with the implementation of such programmes.
"A common rate for quality would be hard to identify, but with the kit it is possible to come up with a specific rate," he says.
Already he has exhibited the kit both locally and in other countries in over 200 exhibitions.
He reveals that the kit has caused a stir in the dairy industry with stakeholders showing interest in adopting it.
The kit's use has already been embraced in Rwanda and Tanzania and Solanki adds he is in talks with the Kenyan Government through the ministry of Livestock and Cooperatives Development regarding its use and adoption by dairy farmers.
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