Kenya’s milk shortage has been linked to declining fodder supplies as inadequate rainfall leaves dairy farmers struggling to feed their cows, Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke has said.
Mueke said the government was working on immediate and long-term measures to restore milk supplies and protect farmers from losses caused by the changing seasons.
Speaking in Nairobi on Thursday, Mueke said the priority was to ensure dairy farmers had enough feed to keep their cows producing milk.
“The real issue is fodder pressure due to lack of rains, and we need to ensure that our cows do not go hungry,” Mueke said.
He said the government had agreed on measures to ease pressure on animal feed following a drought mitigation meeting chaired by President William Ruto.
Among the measures is allowing yellow maize to supplement the supply of maize used in animal feeds.
“We did have a session on mitigation of drought that was chaired by President William Ruto, and we agreed to supplement the lack of maize that was going for animal feed by allowing yellow maize,” Mueke said.
The government is also seeking to ensure farmers receive better returns for their milk, with Mueke warning that poor prices could push producers to sell their milk through informal channels.
He said the Kenya Dairy Board would take the lead in monitoring milk movement and ensuring more milk reaches consumers through formal markets.
“We will ensure the farmers get the right pricing for their milk so that they do not send it informally,” he said.
“The Kenya Dairy Board will take the lead to ensure that we know where the milk is going and put it on the shelves.”
Mueke said the shortage was also a reflection of the vulnerability of Kenya’s dairy sector to weather patterns, with milk production falling during dry seasons and increasing when rains return.
“When we have a dry season, milk supply goes down, and when the season is good, the milk supply goes up,” he said.
To cushion the country against future shortages, the government is considering a fund that would support the preservation of milk during periods of high production for use when supply falls.
Mueke said the government was looking at ways of “even drying the milk” as part of efforts to stabilise supply throughout the year.
The government is also scrutinising the operations of dairy cooperatives, with Mueke raising concerns over governance and the share of milk revenues reaching farmers.
He said some cooperatives were buying milk at about Sh60 per litre but passing only a small portion of the proceeds to farmers.
“We have also realised that some of the cooperatives have governance issues, buying milk at Sh60 and passing very little to the farmers. This is disincentivising the farmer from producing milk,” Mueke said.
He said he had engaged the Principal Secretary responsible for cooperatives and that a circular would be issued to ensure cooperatives comply with regulations.
“We have gotten in touch with the PS of Cooperatives and we have agreed that a circular will be sent out to ensure that they operate within the regulations,” he said.
Kenya is also exploring options beyond its borders to bridge the supply gap as the government seeks to restore milk availability in the short term.
“We are also looking across the region for other solutions so that normalcy comes back to our shelves,” Mueke said.
He said the government was confident that the interventions would help restore milk supplies while longer-term measures are developed to shield the dairy sector from recurring shortages.
“We have had a good meeting and I believe we understand where the gap is, and we will bring normalcy in the short term,” Mueke said.
