Speaking at the milk processors stakeholders meeting held at State House, Nakuru, President William Ruto said that the government is investing in milk cold chain facilities by buying 650 coolers to address milk perishability in Kenya.
“To manage milk quality, we have rolled out 460 milk coolers across the country. We are also investing Sh8 billion to acquire an additional 650 milk coolers to distribute to farmers across the country linked to processors through cooperative societies,” said the Ruto.
He also informed that the government is investing in the infrastructure for the delivery of quality semen for both milk and beef production. This is through upscaling the infrastructure of the Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Centre (KAGRC).
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On feed production, Ruto said, the state has waived duty on imported yellow maize used in feed making and is working with private sector players on feed bulking in the country. This will make feeds affordable to most livestock farmers.
“We will also reduce the cost of agriculture pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals. This has been done through the Finance Bill 2023, which will offer tax exemptions on raw materials used in local vaccine production,” he added
According to the president, having the farmers, cattle, and know-how in dairy management and being among the top three milk producers in Africa gives Kenya a competitive and comparative advantage in the dairy sector.
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“All we need is to improve partnerships to elevate the productivity of our dairy herd. We can easily double the productivity of the same cows we have today producing 3-5 liters.”
The president highlighted that the dairy sector can create significant levels of employment throughout its value chain, i.e., from production to market. It can also contribute to bolstering Kenya’s foreign exchange and improve the export gross domestic product which has shrunk from 30 per cent to 10 per cent in the last 10 years.