By George Munene
The Ministry of Agriculture is working on availing affordable and nutritious sources of dairy feeds to farmers in order to help scale down the ballooning cost of concentrate feeds.
With a 50kg bag of the leading dairy meal brand costing about Sh2,175, many dairy farmers have complained that this significantly hampers their returns despite the prevailingly high milk buying price across the country.
Speaking to dairy farmers at Chuka University Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya stated that the Agriculture ministry is setting up a board that will brainstorm on ways the burdening cost of dairy feeds can be reduced as well as vetting the quality of feeds in order to eliminate counterfeit products in the country.
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Among the proposals mooted is the possibility of a contractual agreement between The Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers (AKEFEMA) and the Cereal Growers Association (CGA). This would create a ready market for Kenya’s cereal growers as well as potentially reduce the cost of feeds by up to 50 per cent.
During the farmers’ field day Munya said that the Government is committed to increasing milk production to 15 litres per cow so as to empower farmers economically.
