The government has with immediate effect banned the importation of milk powder from neighbouring countries in a bid to protect the local dairy industry from unfavourable market competition.
This decision follows a rise in Kenya’s milk production, which has made the country the second-largest milk producer in Africa after Egypt.
The government says the move will help boost local farmers’ earnings and enhance domestic production with the national milk demand standing at eight billion litres annually.
The dairy industry in the country contributes upto four percent to the national Gross Domestic Product and supports more than 700,000 jobs directly.
According to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, the ban aims to shield local producers from unfair competition while ensuring that local demand is met as population increases.
Kagwe issued a stern warning to unscrupulous traders who have been exploiting loopholes to import milk powder, saying their actions were undermining local producers.
At the same time, the CS announced that the government has stopped street hawking of milk to address growing health concerns over unregulated milk products being sold openly.
Speaking in Naivasha during the graduation ceremony of the Dairy Training Institute, Kagwe said the government is formulating new regulations to streamline the sector and cushion farmers from losses.
To tackle the high cost of production, Kagwe noted that the government is enhancing local production of livestock feeds that meet both protein and energy requirements.
He added that plans are underway to waive taxes on animal feeds to further reduce production costs for farmers as the demand for milk products continues to rise.
During the event, the CS issued more than ten milk coolers to farmers in Nakuru and Baringo counties, saying the initiative would help curb post-harvest losses caused by poor storage.
“The dairy sector contributes 12 per cent to the agricultural GDP, and the government is committed to supporting its growth to meet the increasing demand,” Kagwe said.
He further revealed that the government is also working to increase local production of wheat, rice, and cooking oil in order to reduce the country’s food import bill, which currently stands at Sh500 billion annually.
Nakuru County Deputy Governor, David Kones, said the county’s dairy sector generates over Sh14 billion annually, crediting this growth to a strengthened cooperative movement.
Kones noted that the provision of milk coolers would significantly reduce post-harvest losses, which continue to cost farmers millions of shillings each year.
On his part, Dairy Training Institute Principal, Abraham Biwott, said they have instituted major programmes to ensure the graduands are competent to address emerging issues in the dairy sector including dairy technology and management.
Biwott said they have inked collaboration with key industry players and universities such as Egerton University to ensure the research churned is implemented to enhance productivity.
The manager of an Elburgon-based dairy cooperative, Daniel Kiptum, said the new coolers will address storage challenges affecting the processing of more than 18,000 litres of milk per day.
He added that the move would enable farmers to earn better prices, increasing the current rate from Sh42 to Sh50 per litre, as well as enhance value addition.
Kiptum also said the cooperative has begun training farmers to use locally produced fodder to reduce the high cost of animal feeds.
Job Siror from Subukia Cooperative said the group plans to increase value addition by producing cheese and yoghurt to boost farmers’ earnings.
By Erastus Gichohi
